TEHRAN- The value of Iran’s export to Turkmenistan increased 14.6 percent in the first half of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20-September 21) compared to the same period in the previous year, according to the spokesman of the International Relations and Trade Development Committee of Iran's House of Industry, Mining and Trade Ruhollah Latifi.

Ruhollah Latifi said that Iran exported 702,000 tons of commodities worth $239.879 million to Turkmenistan in the six-month period, which was also 12.1 percent more than the previous year in terms of weight, IRIB reported.

Agricultural and food products, medicine, household appliances, construction materials, electrical appliances, industrial equipment, plastic, consumer goods, and machinery were among the goods exported to Turkmenistan in the mentioned period, Latifi said.

Based on customs data, Iran also imported 10,000 tons of goods valued at $12,285,660 in the first half of the current Iranian year, and the main imported goods were textiles, cloth, and yarn.

According to the official, Iran exported 1.359 million tons of commodities worth $445.17 million to Turkmenistan in the previous Iranian calendar year, most of which were agricultural and dairy products.

Last year, more than 38,000 tons of goods valued at $38.657 million were also imported from Turkmenistan, he added.

Turkmenistan’s total imports in 2023 stood at about $3.5 billion, of which the Islamic Republic of Iran's share was $445 million. According to Latifi, Iran accounted for about 12.5 percent of Turkmenistan's market share in 2023.

Back in August, customs officials from Iran and Turkmenistan agreed to enhance customs cooperation and also the volume of the trade exchanges between the two countries.

In a meeting held between the Head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) Mohammad Rezvanifar and the Chairman of the State Customs Service of Turkmenistan Maksat Khudaikulyev in Tehran, the two sides emphasized expanding and broadening cooperation in various fields.

In this meeting, the IRICA head expressed his satisfaction with the increase in the volume of trade exchanges between the two countries and stated that Iran and Turkmenistan exchanged 1.4 million tons of products, valued at $450 million in the previous Iranian calendar year (March 21, 2023 to March 20, 2024). 

Rezvanifar pointed out that bilateral meetings between the traders and officials of the two countries will play an effective role in increasing the volume of trade between the two sides and called for setting up such meetings.

The chairman of the State Customs Service of Turkmenistan, for his part, welcomed the development of trade exchanges between the two countries in recent years, adding that the trade volume between Iran and Turkmenistan is on an upward trajectory.

Maksat Khudaikulyev called for the exchange of experiences and the development of educational-training cooperation between the customs of the two countries an offer that was welcomed by the head of Iran's customs chief.

The borders of the two countries have great potential and Turkmenistan Customs Office is ready to provide customs services at Sarakhs border crossing around the clock, he stressed.

During the meeting, the two sides decided to hold expert-level meetings between the two countries within the next month.

EF/MA