TEHRAN – Iranian Industry, Mining, and Trade Ministry’s data indicates that the export of cigarettes has risen nearly by four folds during the first half of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-Sptember 22), as compared to the same period of time in the past year.

Iran exported 275 million cigarettes in the first six months of this year compared to the 71 million in the same period last year, ISNA reported.

The country’s cigarette output also rose 14 percent in the first half of this year, as 28.7 billion cigarettes were produced, while the figure was 25 billion in the same time span of the previous year.

As announced by the head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA), Iran has exported 60 million tons of non-oil products valued at $21.8 billion in the first half of the present year, with a 61-percent rise in value and a 30-percent growth in weight, as compared to the first half of the past year.

Mehdi Mir-Ashrafi has mentioned liquefied natural gas, methanol, polyethylene, semi-finished iron products, iron ingots, propane, urea, gasoline, iron rods and cathodes 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 14.8 million tons worth $6.5 billion, Iraq with 13.9 million tons worth $3.8 billion, Turkey with 7.2 million tons worth $2.3 billion, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with 5.8 million tons worth $2.2 billion, and Afghanistan with 2.5 million tons worth $1.0 billion.

MA/MA