TEHRAN- The value of Iran’s agricultural products export increased by 26 percent during the first six months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20-September 21), as compared to the same period of time in the past year, the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) reported.

According to the IRICA report, the country exported 3.2 million tons of agricultural products worth $1.7 billion in the first half of the current year, also indicating 20 percent rise in terms of weight, year on year.

Pistachios with $374 million of exports, tomatoes with $207 million, watermelons with $128 million, apples with $114 million and dates with $78 million of exports were the top five exported items in the mentioned period.

As previously announced by the IRICA, Iran exported about 2.657 million tons of agricultural products valued at $1.453 billion in the first five months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20-August 21), registering an increase of 33 percent in value year on year.

According to the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration, the exports of the mentioned products also increased 22 percent in terms of weight.

The value of Iran’s exports of agricultural and foodstuff products increased by 22.5 percent in the previous Iranian calendar year (ended on March 19), the spokesman of the International Relations and Trade Development Committee of Iran's House of Industry, Mining and Trade has said.

According to Ruhollah Latifi, Iranian producers managed to export about $6.3 billion worth of the mentioned products in the said year.

As reported, agro-food products accounted for 12.8 percent of the country’s total non-oil exports in the previous year.

Iraq was the top destination for Iran’s agro-food products in the mentioned year importing $1.986 billion worth of the said items. The Arab neighbor accounted for 31.5 percent of the total exports of food and agricultural products from Iran.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) stood in second place, importing $751 million of the mentioned products, followed by Russia with $521.5 million.

The value of Iran’s total foreign trade including oil and technical engineering services reached $153.17.8 billion in the last Iranian calendar year.

EF/MA