TEHRAN- More than 8.581 million tons of basic commodities were transported to the designated destinations throughout the country during the first half of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-September 22), Iran’s Government Trading Corporation (GTC) announced.

Based on the GTC’s report, the essential commodities including wheat, rice, raw oil, sugar and oil seeds were transported throughout the country via roads and railway network in the six-month period.

As the GTC has previously announced, 3.117 million tons of basic commodities were imported into the country during the first half of this year.

The imports of basic goods declined 29 percent compared to the previous year’s same period in which 4.405 million tons of such commodities had been imported.

The basic goods imported into the country are sent to the centers and storage facilities of these products throughout the country according to the transportation plan of the GTC, and then based on the needs of population centers, they are sent for distribution to all parts of the country.

The decrease in the imports of basic goods indicates that the country has performed better in meeting its needs domestically in comparison to the previous year.

In mid-August, GTC announced that since the beginning of the current year, every day a vessel carrying basic goods has entered the ports of the south and north of the country and the cargoes of these ships have been sent to storage centers after unloading.

The basic goods imported into the country include wheat, rice, and oil, which are purchased and imported from foreign sources to provide the country's strategic reserves, supply to consumption centers, and regulate the market.

As announced by Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA), Iran imported 30.9 million tons of basic goods in the past Iranian calendar year 1400 (ended on March 20).

The value of the imported basic commodities was $19.6 billion in the past year, and the imports had experienced a 60-percent rise in worth and a 32-percent growth in weight, as compared to the Iranian calendar year 1399.

MA/MA