TEHRAN- The value of export from Golestan province, in the northeast of Iran, rose 46 percent during 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, according to a provincial official.

Ebrahim Hosseini, the director-general of the province’s customs department, announced that 185.243 million tons of products worth $56.84 million was exported from the province in the five-month period, showing also 233 percent rise in terms of weight.

Major exports include dairy products, pistachios, cement and polystyrene, which have been exported to Iraq, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan and Afghanistan, the official said.

Hosseini further announced that 4.245 million tons of goods valued at $13.058 million was imported to the province in the first five months of the present year, indicating 46 percent rise in worth and nine percent growth in weight, as compared to the same time span of the previous year.

The main imported goods were production line machinery and textiles, which have been imported from Turkmenistan, China and Turkey, he said.

As announced by the head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA), the value of Iran’s non-oil trade rose 38 percent during the first five months of the current year, as compared to the same period of time in the past year.

Mehdi Mir-Ashrafi said that Iran has traded 59.3 million tons of non-oil products worth $34 billion with other countries in the mentioned period, which indicates also 14 percent growth in terms of weight on an annual basis.

The official put the five-month non-oil exports at 45.5 million tons valued at $17.661 billion, with a 63 percent rise in value and 20 percent growth in weight.

The IRICA head mentioned methanol, natural gas, polyethylene, semi-finished iron products, iron ingots, gasoline, liquefied propane, iron rods, urea, and bitumen as the main exported products in the said time span.

He said major export destinations of the Iranian non-oil goods were China with about 12.3 million tons worth $5.9 billion, Iraq with 12 million tons worth $3.163 billion, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with five million tons worth $1.9 billion, Turkey with 1.375 million tons worth $1.1 billion, and Afghanistan with 2.165 million tons worth $885 million.

The official further announced that Iran has imported 13.8 million tons of non-oil commodities worth $16.631 billion in the first five months of the present year, with a 21 percent growth in value and a 0.5 percent fall in weight year on year.

According to the official, the country’s trade balance was over $1 billion positive in the mentioned five months.

MA/MA