TEHRAN – The value of petrochemical exports from Bushehr province, in the southwest of Iran, rose 64 percent in the first five months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-August 22), as compared to the same period of time in the past year, a provincial official announced.

Ali Soleymani, the director-general of the province’s customs department, said that six million tons of petrochemicals has been exported from the province in the five-month period, indicating also 12 percent growth in terms of weight.

Meanwhile, as previously announced by Mehdi Safavi, the director-general of the province’s Industry, Mining and Trade Department, the value of export from the ports of Bushehr rose 67 percent in the first five months of the present year, as compared to the same period of time in the past year.

The official said that over 12 million tons of products worth over $6.3 billion were exported from the ports of Bushehr province in the said five-month period, indicating also 10 percent growth in terms of weight.

He named gas condensate and petrochemical products as the major exported items, and China, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), India, and South Africa as the main export destinations of the products in the five-month period.

The head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) has announced that the value of Iran’s non-oil exports reached $20.924 billion in the first five months of the current Iranian calendar year, up 21 percent compared to the last year’s same period.

According to Alireza Moghadasi, Iran exported 44 million tons of non-oil commodities in the mentioned five months which was 3.5 percent less than the figure for the previous year’s same period, IRNA reported.

Meanwhile, some 14 million tons of goods valued at $21.665 billion were imported into the country, indicating a 19-percent rise in terms of value compared to the last year’s same time span, he said.

The weight of the imported goods declined by 8.5 percent, year on year, the official added.

In total, the Islamic Republic traded about 58 million tons of non-oil goods worth $42.589 billion with its trade partners in the first five months of the current Iranian calendar year, up about 23 percent in terms of value.

Iran's top export destinations during this period were China, Iraq, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Turkey, and India, according to Moghadasi.

Liquid propane, methanol, liquefied natural gas, polyethylene, iron, and steel ingots were among the top exported items in the said five months.

The country’s top five sources of imports during these five months were the UAE, China, Turkey, India, and Russia.

MA/MA