TEHRAN- The value of exports from Semnan Province in north-central Iran has increased 14 percent during the first seven months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20-October 21), according to a provincial official.

Hamid-Reza Madah, the deputy head of Semnan Province’s Industry, Mining and Trade Department, said over 140,000 tons of commodities worth $155 million have been exported from the province during the seven-month period.

The official said that the exports have been conducted by 78 companies to 42 countries including Iraq, Turkey, India, Armenia, Georgia, Hong Kong, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Indonesia, and Ukraine.

He also announced that 7,100 tons of commodities worth $30 million have been imported to the province during the first seven months of this year, and named Turkey, China, Uzbekistan, Italy, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, and the UAE as some of the 16 countries importing goods to Semnan.

Iran has exported 65.5 million tons of non-oil commodities worth $18.2 billion during the first seven months of the current Iranian calendar year, registering a 17.5-percent fall in terms of weight and a 23-percent decline in terms of value compared to the figures for the previous year’s same period, according to the data released by the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA).

Iraq with $4.8 billion, China with $4.4 billion, the UAE with $2.2 billion, Turkey with $1.4 billion, and Afghanistan with $1.3 billion of imports from Iran were among the country’s top export destinations during this period.

In the first seven months of this year, some 19.3 million tons of commodities worth $20 billion have been imported into the country, of which 13.8 million tons were basic goods.

China with $5.1 billion, the UAE with $4.7 billion, Turkey with $2.2 billion, India with $1.2 billion, and Germany with $1 billion of exports to Iran were the top exporting nations to the Islamic Republic.

MA/MA