TEHRAN – The value of export from Mazandaran province, in the north of Iran, rose 50 percent in the first eight months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-November 21), as compared to the same period of time in the past year, according to a provincial official.

Rahim Bakhshi, the director-general of the province’s governorate for investment-making and employment affairs, said that commodities worth $170 million were exported from the province in the eight-month period of this year, while the figure was $85 million in the same time span of the past year.

He named dairy products, citrus fruits, knowledge-based products, and disposable containers as the major exported items and Iraq, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Romania, Afghanistan and India as the main destinations to them the products were exported from the province in the first eight months of the present year.

As previously announced by Hossein-Qoli Qavanlou, the head of the province’s Industry, Mining and Trade Department, the value of export from Mazandaran province rose 55 percent in the past Iranian calendar year 1400 (ended on March 20), from its preceding year.

He said that commodities worth $277 million were exported from the province in the previous year.

In terms of the weight, the exports also indicate 44 percent annual growth, he added.

The official further named cement, minerals, dairy products, plastic, and kiwi as the main exported products, and Iraq, Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, the United Arab Emirates, and India as the major export destinations.

As announced by the spokesman of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA), the value of Iran’s non-oil export rose 4.44 percent during the first eight months of the current Iranian calendar year, as compared to the same period of time in the past year.

According to Morteza Emadi, Iran exported 70.402 million tons of goods valued at $32.368 billion in the said eight months, registering a 16-percent decline in weight.

Liquefied propane, methanol, liquefied butane, polyethylene, bitumen, urea, liquefied natural gas, iron and steel ingots, and light oils were the main exported products in the said time span.

Major export destinations of the Iranian non-oil goods were China, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Turkey, and India, according to the official.

The Islamic Republic has also imported 23.405 million tons of non-oil commodities worth $37.116 billion in the first eight months of the present year, with a 15.25-percent growth in value and a 12.44-percent decrease in weight, year on year.

The first five items of goods imported into the country in the said period include corn, rice, wheat, soybeans, sunflower seed oil, cell phones, flour and unrefined sugar, according to Emadi.

The United Arab Emirates was the top exporter to Iran in the mentioned eight months, followed by China, Turkey, India, and Germany.

Reportedly, the value of Iran’s non-oil trade rose 10 percent during the mentioned period, as compared to the same eight months in the past year.

Iran traded 93.807 million tons of non-oil products worth $69.484 billion with other countries in the mentioned period.

MA/MA