TEHRAN- The value of export from Semnan province, in the north-central Iran, increased 23 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.

Ali Sa’ddedin, the director-general of the province’s customs department, said that 192,138 tons of products worth $74.59 million were exported from the province in the eight-month period.

He said the products were exported to 32 countries, and named sodium hydroxide, wire and cable, light hydrocarbon, unrefined lead, refined oil, evaporative cooler, plastic containers, detergents, refined oil, aluminum sheet, sulfuric acid, dry milk, edible salt, resin, washing machine, hydrochloric acid, perchlorine, calcium chloride, ceramic tiles, barite powder, and liquid paraffin as the major exported items, while Iraq, Afghanistan, Turkey, Russia, Pakistan, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Azerbaijan, Russia, Kuwait, Pakistan, India, Uzbekistan, Armenia, and Japan as the main export destinations.

The official further announced that 13,333 tons of commodities worth $22.151 million were imported to the province in the first eight months of the present year.

He named separate car parts, lead soil, production machinery, components and parts of transformers, paint ink, insulator, metal strip, module, and silicon sheet as the main imported products, which were imported to the province from 22 countries including Turkey, China, Germany, Czech Republic, UAE, and Japan.

As previously announced by the deputy head of the province’s Industry, Mining and Trade Department, 290,000 tons of commodities worth $97 million were exported from Semnan in the past Iranian calendar year 1400 (ended on March 20), which indicate 54 percent rise in value and 12 percent growth in weight as compared to year 1399.

Hamidreza Maddah named light hydrocarbon, caustic soda, ground cable, refined lead, washing powder, rebar, silicon, ceramic tile, evaporative cooler, sweets and chocolate, and sodium chloride as the major exported items which were exported to 39 countries including Afghanistan, Iraq, UAE, Turkey, Pakistan, China, England, India, Croatia, Serbia, Hong Kong, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Italy.

The official also announced that 12,000 tons of commodities worth $58 million were imported to the province in the past year.

He named components and parts of electrical machines and devices, machines and devices for confectionery or for the production of cocoa or chocolate, cotton wool, separate parts of automobiles, and bakery or pastry making machines as the main imported items, and Turkey, China, Italy, Germany, Uzbekistan, South Korea, UAE, Spain, Austria, Netherlands, Belgium, Malaysia, and Switzerland as the major sources of imports.

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