TEHRAN- Loading of basic goods in Imam Khomeini Port in southwestern Khuzestan Province has risen 24 percent during the first quarter of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20-June 20), according to a provincial official.

Head of Khuzestan Province’s Ports and Maritime Department Adel Daris announced that over four million tons of basic commodities have loaded in this port and transported to different parts of the country in the three-month period, IRIB reported.

The official mentioned wheat, barley, soybean cake, sugar, rice, and edible oil as the major products loaded in Imam Khomeini Port during the first quarter.

As previously announced by Daris, unloading of non-oil commodities in Imam Khomeini Port Special Economic Zone in the first Iranian calendar month of Farvardin (March 20-April 19) increased by 15 percent to more than 1.791 million tons.

Imam Khomeini Port is a seaport at the northwestern end of the Persian Gulf near the provincial capital of Ahvaz, Khuzestan.

It is Iran’s second-largest operating port after Shahid Rajaee Port in southern Hormozgan Province.

The port was opened in 1960 with two berths, today it offers 40 berths for ships.

Over 15.7 million tons of basic commodities were loaded and unloaded at Imam Khomeini Port in the past Iranian calendar year (ended on March 19).

As announced by the head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) earlier this month, 25 million tons of basic goods have been cleared from Iran’s customs during the previous year.

According to Mehdi Mirashrafi, 35 million tons of commodities were imported into the country in the mentioned year, of which 25 million tons were basic goods.

Noting that the coronavirus outbreak has decreased the level of trade in the current Iranian calendar year, the official said: “This year, the trend has slowed down, and we hope that with the measures taken by the Central Bank [of Iran (CBI)], the Industry Ministry, and IRICA, we will be able to minimize the deposition of goods in the customs before and after clearance. In this regard, we are going to make a new proposal to the government through the Economy Ministry.”

“There are currently about four million tons of goods stored in the country’s ports, including both basic goods and regular commodities like raw materials, and machinery, so we need to take more specific inter-sectorial measures to facilitate the clearance process,” Mirashrafi added.

According to the official, the main reason for the prolonging of clearance processes has been related to money transfer issues and obtaining ownership documents.

Regarding the reduction of global trade due to the coronavirus outbreak, the IRICA head said: “It is predicted that the volume of trade in the world will decrease by 20 percent due to the outbreak of the coronavirus and Iran and West Asia are not exceptions.”

The official further noted that in the current year which has been called the year of “surge in production” by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Seyed Ali Khamenei, IRICA has prioritized export-facilitating policies and strategies.

MA/MA