TEHRAN - Some 109,000 tons of polymer products were exported from Imam Khomeini Port in southwestern Khuzestan province during the previous Iranian calendar year (ended on March 20), up 14 percent compared to the preceding year.

As Shana reported, Bandar Imam Petrochemical Company (BIPC)'s output hit new records in the previous year in line with the year’s motto which was “surge in production”.

The PVC unit of the mentioned company also produced 166,000 tons of PVC products in the mentioned year, up 2,000 tons from the figure for the preceding year.

Iran exported over $1.31 billion worth of polymer products in the previous year, according to the chairman of the Export Committee of Iran National Plastic and Polymer Industries Association.

Speaking at an international conference on promoting polymer exports in Tehran on June 1, Masoud Jamali said: “We are top exporter of polymer products to Armenia and the second biggest exporter of such products to the Republic of Azerbaijan.”

The mentioned conference was held with the aim of exploring issues and challenges in the country's polymer industries and to discuss ways of increasing exports.

“In this conference, we have focused on empowering and informing the businessmen and traders active in this sector,” Jamali said in the opening ceremony.

Introducing Iran's polymer export capacities and opportunities, identifying new target markets, and getting acquainted with the laws and regulations of the mentioned countries were among the topics explored in this conference.

According to Reza Tofiqi, the secretary of the conference, one of the best ways for boosting non-oil exports and especially polymer exports is to sign trade agreements with other countries.

“In recent years, a preferential trade agreement has been signed with the Eurasian Economic Union, which covers a significant number of the items,” Tofiqi said.

He said that 60 percent of the items in the agreement are related to the polymer and plastics industries, adding that if traders have enough knowledge in this regard, they can supply part of the union's $4.5 billion imports of such products, while currently, Iran exports only $600 million of the mentioned commodities to the union.

Tofiqi further noted that Pakistan imports $2.2 billion of polymer products a year and said: “Iran ranks sixth among the top polymer exporters to this country with only $103 million of exports; the country accounts for five percent of Pakistan’s total imports, while Iran has a 20-year agreement with this country.”

According to the official, government bodies should reconsider the trade of polymer products with other countries like Pakistan in order to include these products in the list of items with tariff reductions.

EF/MA