TEHRAN - Iran exported 5.81 million tons of agricultural products worth $5.686 billion in the past Iranian calendar year 1395 (March 2016-March 2017, Deputy Agriculture Minister Abdolmahdi Bakhshandeh said on Wednesday.

The exports showed a 21.77 percent increase in terms of weight and a 3.61 percent growth in terms of value year on year, IRNA quoted Bakhshandeh as saying.

The agriculture sector held a 4.48 percent and a 12.97 percent share of the country’s total non-oil exports in terms of weight and value, respectively, he explained.

Pistachio, tomato paste, and saffron were the main items exported last year, he noted.

Meanwhile, imports of agricultural products in the said time span dropped by 5.78 percent in terms of weight and by 1.15 percent in terms of value in comparison with year 1394, the official noted.

Iran’s non-oil trade reached $87.646 billion in the past Iranian calendar year, an increase of 4.34 percent compared to its preceding year.

Non-oil exports stood at $43.93 billion, showing 3.54 percent rise year on year, while the imports hit $43.684 billion, registering 5.16 percent growth compared to the previous year.

HJ/MA/MG