TEHRAN- The value of exports from Markazi province, in the center of Iran, has risen 99 percent during the first four months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-July 22), as compared to the same period of time in the past year, a provincial official announced.

Esmaeil Hosseini, the director-general of the province’s customs department, said that over 477,000 tons of products worth over $371 million has been exported from the province in the four-month period, indicating also seven percent rise in terms of weight.

The official named types of hydrocarbons, heavy and light polyethylene, food and beverages, kitchen and home appliances, disposable plastic products, crystals, aluminum cans, paper towels, steel sections, electric poles, aluminum ingots and apartment flowers as the main products exported from the province in the said time span.

He said the products have been exported to 80 countries and named Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkey, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan as the major export destinations.

Hosseini further announced that 42 tons of goods valued at $155.4 million have been imported to the province in the first four months of the current year, indicating four percent and 67 percent growth in terms of value and weight respectively.

He named raw materials for the production of diapers, bags, juices, machinery, components and parts, edible essential oils, edible raw materials, green bananas, steel wire and aluminum coils as the main imported items and said the products have been imported from 41 countries including the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, China, India, and Germany.

As announced by the head of Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA), the value of Iran’s non-oil trade rose 47 percent during the first four months of the current year, as compared to the same period of time in the past year.

Mehdi Mir-Ashrafi has said that Iran has traded 50.8 million tons of non-oil products worth nearly $29 billion with other countries in the mentioned four-month period, which indicates also 21 percent growth in terms of weight on an annual basis.

The official put the four-month non-oil export at 38.3 million tons valued at $14.3 billion, with a 65-percent rise in value and a 27-percent growth in weight.

The IRICA head mentioned liquefied gas, polyethylene, iron semi-finished products, methanol, gasoline, iron and steel ingots, steel products, iron rods, liquid propane, bitumen, and copper cathode as the main exported products in the said time span.

He said major export destinations of the Iranian non-oil goods were China with about 10 million tons worth $4.3 billion, Iraq with 10.9 million tons worth $2.8 billion, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with 4.3 million tons worth $1.6 billion, Turkey with one million tons worth $923 million, and Afghanistan with 1.8 million tons worth $728 million.

The official further announced that Iran has imported 12.5 million tons of non-oil commodities worth $14.5 billion in the first four months of the present year, with 32 percent growth in value and five percent rise in weight year on year.

MA/MA