TEHRAN - The value of Iran’s non-oil exports increased by 18 percent in the first eight months of the current Iranian year (March 20-November 21) compared to the same period last year, according to the data released by the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA).

Iran exported 103.558 million tons of goods valued at $38.152 billion in the mentioned eight months, also registering a 14.66 percent rise in terms of weight, Mehr News Agency reported.

The Islamic Republic also imported 24.525 million tons of commodities worth $45.127 billion in the said eight months.

The country’s trade balance was negative $7.0 billion in the eight months mentioned, according to IRICA.

China, Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India were the main export destinations of Iranian goods during the mentioned period.

These countries accounted for 82.29 percent of the weight and 82.94 percent of the value of the country's total non-oil exports.

The UAE, China, Turkey, Germany, the Russian Federation, and India were also the top sources of imports for Iran in the first eight months of the current year.

As announced by the IRICA, the value of Iran’s foreign trade including oil and technical engineering services reached $153.17.8 billion in the last Iranian calendar year.

The value of the Islamic Republic’s trade with the partners in the previous year increased by 2.6 percent compared to the same period last year.

IRICA put the country’s non-oil exports, excluding exports of electricity, crude oil, and techno-engineering services, at 136.4 million tons worth $49.33 billion which shows a 9.82 percent rise in terms of tonnage and an 8.87 percent decline in terms of value.

Iran exported $35.87 billion of crude oil, $370 million of electricity, and $1.293 billion of technical engineering services in the mentioned year.

Based on IRICA data, during this period, 48.8 million tons of petrochemical products worth $19.4 billion were also exported, which shows a decrease of 11.32 percent and 28.59 percent in terms of weight and value, respectively.

During this period, liquefied natural gas with $3.9 billion, liquefied propane with $3.62 billion, and bitumen-oil with $2.19 billion were Iran’s top exported items.

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