TEHRAN- The value of Iran’s tomato export reached $177 million during the first five months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20-August 21), the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) reported.

As reported, tomato was the second top exported agricultural item in the five-month period, after pistachio.

As previously reported by the IRICA, the value of Iran’s agricultural products export increased by 33 percent during the first five months of the current Iranian calendar year, as compared to the same period of time in the past year.

According to the IRICA report, the country exported 2.657 million tons of agricultural products worth $1.453 billion in the five-month period of this year, also indicating 22 percent rise in terms of weight year on year.

Also as previously announced by the IRICA, Iran exported about 2.226 million tons of agricultural products valued at $1.18 billion in the first four months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20-July 21), registering an increase of 32 percent in value year on year.

According to the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration, the exports of the mentioned products also increased 22 percent in terms of weight.

The value of Iran’s exports of agricultural and foodstuff products increased by 22.5 percent in the previous Iranian calendar year (ended on March 19), the spokesman of the International Relations and Trade Development Committee of Iran's House of Industry, Mining and Trade has said.

According to Ruhollah Latifi, Iranian producers managed to export about $6.3 billion worth of the mentioned products in the said year.

As reported, agro-food products accounted for 12.8 percent of the country’s total non-oil exports in the previous year.

Iraq was the top destination for Iran’s agro-food products in the mentioned year importing $1.986 billion worth of the said items. The Arab neighbor accounted for 31.5 percent of the total exports of food and agricultural products from Iran.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) stood in second place, importing $751 million of the mentioned products, followed by Russia with $521.5 million.

The value of Iran’s total foreign trade including oil and technical engineering services reached $153.17.8 billion in the last Iranian calendar year.

MA