Iran sets $59 billion target for annual non-oil revenues
By Sara Rajabova
Iran has set a target of $59 billion in non-oil exports for the current Iranian calendar year which started on March 21, ISNA news agency quoted deputy director of Trade Promotion Organization of Iran, Kiyumars Fathollah Kermanshahi, as saying.
Kermanshahi said that non-oil exports are expected to reach the level of imports in the current year.
He noted that the figure is projected to reach $89 billion by the end of the fifth five-year national development plan in 2015.
Earlier this week, Director of Iran's Trade Development Organization (TDO) Hamid Safdel estimated the total value of the country's non-oil export of goods and services in the previous Iranian year (that just ended on March 20) at $50 billion.
Hamid Safdel further added that Iran's imports during the first 11 months of the past year reached $48 billion, which is expected to climb to $55 billion for the entire year.
During the first 11 months of the past 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, according to Press TV.
Meanwhile, Iran imported $48.387 million worth of goods over the same period. The imported commodities weighed 35.873 million tons.
China, the UAE, Iraq, Afghanistan, India, Turkey, South Korea, Turkmenistan, Pakistan and Azerbaijan were the main importers of non-oil products from Iran.
The leading exporters of non-oil goods to Iran were the UAE, China, South Korea, Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, India, Russia, Italy and Turkey.