TEHRAN- The value of export from Khorasan Razavi province in the northeast of Iran increased by 25 percent in the first eight months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-November 21), as compared to the same period of time in the previous year, according to a provincial official.

Amir-Reza Rajabi, the director-general of the province’s Industry, Mining and Trade Department, said that 1.389 million tons of products worth $821 million were exported from the province in the eight-month period, indicating 53 percent rise in terms of weight year on year.

He named saffron, pistachios, iron and steel rods, flooring, apples, tomato paste, polystyrene, cement, active (live) yeasts, dry milk, yogurt, packaged milk and cream, light oils and products except gasoline as the major exported items, and Afghanistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Iraq, Uzbekistan, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Spain, China, Russian Federation, Kazakhstan, India, Turkey, Armenia, Netherlands, Azerbaijan, Qatar and Syria as the main export destinations.

The official further announced that 188,000 tons of commodities valued at $418 million have been imported to the province in the first eight months of the current year.

As previously announced by Javad Jafari, an official with the province’s customs department, the value of non-oil export from Khorasan Razavi rose six percent in the past Iranian calendar year 1400 (ended on March 20), from its preceding year.

He said that 2.607 million tons of commodities worth $1.4 billion were exported from the province in the past year, indicating five percent fall in terms of weight year on year.

He named Iraq, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan as the major export destinations of the province’ products.

Jafari also announced that 229,000 tons of commodities worth $579 million were imported to Khorasan Razavi in the previous year, with 53 percent rise in value and 23 percent growth in weight year on year.

He named Oman, China, Tajikistan, and the United Arab Emirates as the main sources of imports to the province during the previous year.

As announced by the spokesman of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA), the value of Iran’s non-oil export rose 4.44 percent during the first eight months of the current Iranian calendar year, as compared to the same period of time in the past year.

According to Morteza Emadi, Iran exported 70.402 million tons of goods valued at $32.368 billion in the said eight months, registering a 16-percent decline in weight.

Liquefied propane, methanol, liquefied butane, polyethylene, bitumen, urea, liquefied natural gas, iron and steel ingots, and light oils were the main exported products in the said time span.

Major export destinations of the Iranian non-oil goods were China, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Turkey, and India, according to the official.

The Islamic Republic has also imported 23.405 million tons of non-oil commodities worth $37.116 billion in the first eight months of the present year, with a 15.25-percent growth in value and a 12.44-percent decrease in weight, year on year.

The first five items of goods imported into the country in the said period include corn, rice, wheat, soybeans, sunflower seed oil, cell phones, flour and unrefined sugar, according to Emadi.

The United Arab Emirates was the top exporter to Iran in the mentioned eight months, followed by China, Turkey, India, and Germany.

Reportedly, the value of Iran’s non-oil trade rose 10 percent during the mentioned period, as compared to the same eight months in the past year.

Iran traded 93.807 million tons of non-oil products worth $69.484 billion with other countries in the mentioned period.

MA/MA