Iran Non-Oil Trade in 8 Months Announced by IRICA

Iran’s customs office (IRICA) says non-oil exports from the country rose by 18% year on year in the eight months to November 20.

IRICA chief Foroud Asgari said on Tuesday that Iran had exported US$38.152 billion worth of goods and commodities in the eight months to late November.

He said that export shipments had also increased by 14.66% in volume terms over the same period to reach 103.558 million metric tons.

His figures showed that petrochemicals had accounted for 29.79% of Iran’s total non-oil export value in the eight months to late November as shipments generated US$17.5 billion worth of revenues.

Main export items included liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) at US$5.1 billion, liquefied propane at US$2.2 billion, and methanol at US$1.7 billion, the figures showed.

China was the largest buyer of Iranian export shipments over the April-November period with US$9.9 billion worth of purchases, followed by Iraq at US$8.3 billion and the United Arab Emirates at US$4.8 billion, IRICA figures showed.

Figures released earlier this month pointed to a major month-on-month increase in Iran’s non-oil exports in October thanks to a surge in shipments delivered to neighboring Iraq.

Asgari said that imports into Iran had also risen to US$45.127 billion in the eight months to late November.

He added that the UAE, which is the largest re-exporting hub in the Persian Gulf region, had been the largest supplier of goods and commodities to Iran over the period with US$13.6 billion worth of shipments, followed by China at US$11.5 billion and Turkey at US$7.8 billion.

Iran imported US$4.6 billion worth of standard gold bullion, US$1.8 billion worth of feed corn, and US$1.5 billion worth of mobile phones over the eight months to late November, the official said. - Press TV, Tasnim