TEHRAN - Iranian tire manufacturers produced 131,733 tons (over 12.732 million) of car tires in the first six months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20-September 21), registering an 11-percent rise from the output in the first half of the previous year.

According to Mostafa Tanha, the spokesman of the Iranian Tire Syndicate, currently nearly 70 percent of the country’s tire need is supplied by domestic producers and only one-third is imported, IRIB reported.

Production of the tires of agricultural vehicles experienced a decline of eight percent to stand at 4,436 tons, and that of road building and industrial vehicles increased 47 percent to 1,319 tons in the period under review.

The tire industry has a 60-year history in Iran. Currently, 11 tire manufacturing companies are active across the country that produce tires for passenger cars, trucks, buses, vans, road construction, and agriculture machinery, as well as bicycles and motorcycles in addition to other types of tubes.

Some 15,000 people are directly employed in this industry and more than 250,000 people are indirectly involved in the value chain of this industry.

EF/MA