TEHRAN – The value of Iran’s non-oil trade with its neighbors stood at $36.8 billion during the first nine months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-December 21, 2021) to register a 42 percent increase year on year, head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) announced.

Alireza Moghadasi put the weight of non-oil trade with the neighboring countries at 75 million tons in the said time span, stating that trade with the neighbors also increased by 18 percent in terms of weight, IRIB reported.

According to the official, the neighboring countries accounted for 51 percent of value and 61 percent of the weight of the country’s total non-oil trade in the first nine months of the current fiscal year.

Moghadasi put the nine-month non-oil exports at 57.335 million tons valued at $18.766 billion, with a 24-percent rise in value and nine-percent growth in weight.

He noted that the exports to the neighbors accounted for 53 percent of the total value of the exports in the said time span.

He said major export destinations of the Iranian non-oil goods were Iraq, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Afghanistan, and Pakistan followed by Russia, Oman, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Saudi Arabia.

The official further announced that the Islamic Republic imported 17.682 million tons of non-oil commodities worth over $18 billion in the first nine months of the present year, with a 68-percent growth in value and a 62-percent rise in weight year on year.

The United Arab Emirates was the top exporter to Iran in the said period, followed by Turkey, Russia, Iraq, and Oman, he stated.

Moghadasi had earlier said the value of Iran’s total non-oil trade rose 38 percent in the first nine months of the current Iranian calendar year as compared to the same period of time in the past year.

According to the official, Iran traded over 122.5 million tons of non-oil products worth $72.1 billion with other countries in the mentioned period.

The official put the nine-month non-oil exports at 92.3 million tons valued at $35.1 billion, with a 40-percent rise in value and eight percent growth in weight.

The IRICA head further announced that the Islamic Republic imported 30.1 million tons of non-oil commodities worth $37 billion in the first nine months of the present year, with a 37-percent growth in value and a 20-percent rise in weight year on year.

Moghadasi said the value of Iran’s non-oil trade with foreign partners is expected to reach $98 billion by the yearend.

EF/MA