TEHRAN- The value of Iran’s agricultural exports increased 6.8 percent during the first four months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20-July 21), compared to the same period of time in the past year, an official with the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) announced on Wednesday.

IRICA Deputy Head for Technical and Customs Affairs Mehrdad Jamal Orounaqi put the four-month agricultural exports at 2.706 million tons worth $1.69 billion and said that the exports also show a 30-percent rise in terms of weight.

Last year, 2.074 million tons of agricultural products valued at $1.582 billion had been exported during the first four months, the official added.

The acting head of Agriculture Ministry’s Economic Affairs Department Shahrokh Shajari has put Iran’s exports of the mentioned products at about 7.104 million tons worth $5.8 billion in the past Iranian calendar year.

In the previous year, over 6.941 million tons of agricultural and foodstuff products worth $6.392 billion were also imported into the country, according to Shajari.

Watermelons, apples, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, and shallots were the top five exported products in the previous year in terms of weight, while in terms of value, pistachios, apples, tomatoes, pistachio kernels, and watermelons were the five major export products, the official said.

Shajari further pointed to the major imported items in terms of weight, saying, corn, barley, soybean meal, soybean, and untreated sugar were the top five imported items, while in terms of value livestock corn, rice, barley, and soybeans were the top imported products.

MA/MA