TEHRAN- The value of non-oil export from Sistan-Baluchestan province, in the southeast of Iran, increased by 14% in the past Iranian calendar year 1401 (ended on March 20), as compared to the preceding year, a provincial official announced.

Mehdi Shojaei, the general-director of the office of economic affairs coordination of the province’s governorate, said that 4.6 million tons of products worth $1.605 billion were exported from the province in the past year, indicating also six percent growth in terms of weight, year on year.

He named cement, clinker, coal, gas, agricultural poison, dates, tomatoes, laundry powder, plums, raisins, shrimp, fish and canned fish, other agricultural products and permitted food items as the main exported products, and Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, Iraq, Kuwait, UAE, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Indonesia, Tajikistan and Lebanon as the major export destinations.

Shojaei further announced that two million tons of non-oil goods valued at $2.222 billion were imported to the province during the previous year, with 18 percent fall in weight, while 49 percent growth in worth, year on year.

He named wheat, rice, corn, oats, mango, banana, sesame, potato, live livestock, cloth, tea, mats, car spare parts, light and heavy car tires, cooling devices, spices, and fish as the major imported items and Russia, Pakistan, France, Germany, India, Brazil, United Arab Emirates, China, Thailand, Netherlands, Kenya and Afghanistan as the main sources of imports to the province in the past year.

As announced by the spokesman of Trade Development Committee of the Iranian House of Industry, Mining, and Trade, the value of Iran’s non-oil export rose 10 percent in the past year.

Ruhollah Latifi said that 122.056 million tons of non-oil commodities worth $53.166 billion were exported in the previous year.

China with the purchase of $14.584 billion of commodities (no change), Iraq with $10.238 billion (15 percent growth), Turkey with $7.459 billion (23 percent growth), the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with $5.767 billion (28 percent growth), and India with $2.146 billion (18 percent growth) were the first five export destinations of Iranian goods in 1401, the official stated.

Latifi further announced that 37.18 million tons of non-oil commodities valued at $59.655 billion were imported to the country during the past year, with a 10 percent drop in weight, and a 13 percent rise in worth, year on year.

The UAE with sales of $18.395 billion (11 percent growth), China with $15.744 billion (24 percent growth), Turkey with $6.99 billion (15 percent growth), India with $2.019 billion (80 percent growth), and Germany with $2.019 billion (five percent growth), were the first five countries supplying goods to Iran in 1401, he stated.

The official went on to say that the country's non-oil trade reached 159.236 million tons worth $112.821 billion in the previous year, with an 11.2 percent growth year on year.

MA