Exports from Iran’s island in Persian Gulf hit $70m
By Sara Rajabova
Some $70 million worth of goods were exported from Iran's Qeshm Island located in the Persian Gulf in the current Iranian calendar year, which started on March 20, 2012, IRNA news agency quoted head of Qeshm department of industry, mines, and trade Mohammadreza Nouri as saying.
The goods were exported mainly to the UAE, Iraq, Russia, and some African countries, he added.
About 35 percent of investments in Qeshm industrial zone have been made by China, Japan, and the UAE in cement and food industries, he noted.
Iran's non-oil exports will surpass $50 billion by the end of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20), ISNA news agency quoted Iranian Chamber of Commerce official Asadollah Asgaroladi as saying.
Non-oil imports are valued at $ 60-65 billion, he said, adding that non-oil exports should approach the imports.
On January 26, ISNA quoted Iranian Finance and Economic Affairs Minister Shamseddin Hosseini as saying that Iran has exported $34.5 billion worth of non-oil goods and imported $43.7 billion of non-oil goods during the first 10 months of the current Iranian calendar year.
The non-oil exports and imports declined by 2.5 percent and 12.5 percent compared to the same period in the past year, respectively, he added.
He also said that exports of industrial and mineral goods increased by 30 percent, while exports of gas condensates and petrochemical products sharply fell due to international sanctions.
On the other hand, Press TV reported recently that despite the US-engineered sanctions imposed on Iran, the country has managed to export nearly $30 billion worth of non-oil goods, excluding gas condensate, over an eleven-month period.
During the first eleven months of the current Iranian calendar year (started March 20, 2012), Iran exported $29.272 billion worth of non-oil commodities, excluding gas condensate. The non-oil exports weighed 61.627 million tons.
Meanwhile, Iran imported $ 48.387 million worth of goods over the same period, marking a 12-percent drop compared to the corresponding period of the last Iranian calendar year (ended March 19, 2012).
The imported commodities weighed 35.873 million tons, showing a 7-percent growth in comparison with the preceding year.
China, the UAE, Iraq, Afghanistan, India, Turkey, South Korea, Turkmenistan, Pakistan and Azerbaijan were the main importers of non-oil products from Iran.
The UAE, China, South Korea, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, India, Russia, Italy and Turkey were the leading exporters of non-oil goods to Iran.