TEHRAN, Dec. 27 (MNA) – Iran exported 101.904 million tons of non-oil goods valued at $36.43 billion the first nine months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-Decemebr 21), the head of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) announced.

Mohammad Rezvani-Far said that the nine-month non-oil export indicates 26.48 percent growth in weight, but 0.68 percent fall in value, year on year.

The official also said that the country's exports in the first nine months of this year, including oil, electricity, and technical and engineering services, and excluding the export via suitcase trade, reached $63.97 billion.

Appreciating the cooperation of the Ministries of Oil, Energy, and Industry, Mining and Trade in providing relevant statistics, he said, “It is for the first time that the statistics of the export of oil, electricity and technical and engineering services along with the export of non-oil goods are published by the customs. This government action is aimed at transparency in the performance of foreign trade.”

The IRICA head put the value of the export of oil at $26.46 billion, electricity at $300 million, and technical and engineering services at $780 million in the nine-month period.

Rezvani-Far further announced that Iran has imported 28.7 million tons of goods worth $48.42 billion in the first nine months of the present year, of which $60 million was the value of electricity import.

The nine-month import indicates 12.29 percent rise in value and six percent growth in weight, year on year, he added.

He named China, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Turkey, and India as the major export destinations of Iranian goods in the said time span, and the UAE, China, Turkey, Germany, and India as the main sources of import.

The IRICA head said that the value of Iran’s trade rose seven percent during the first nine months of the current Iranian calendar year, as compared to the same period of time in the past year.

As previously announced by the spokesman of the Trade Development Committee of the Iranian House of Industry, Mining, and Trade, the value of Iran’s non-oil export rose 10 percent in the past Iranian calendar year 1401 (ended on March 20).

Ruhollah Latifi said that 122.056 million tons of non-oil commodities worth $53.166 billion were exported in the previous year.

China with the purchase of $14.584 billion of commodities (no change), Iraq with $10.238 billion (15 percent growth), Turkey with $7.459 billion (23 percent growth), the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with $5.767 billion (28 percent growth), and India with $2.146 billion (18 percent growth) were the first five export destinations of Iranian goods in 1401, the official stated.

Latifi further announced that 37.18 million tons of non-oil commodities valued at $59.655 billion were imported to the country during the past year, with a 10 percent drop in weight, and a 13 percent rise in worth, year on year.

The UAE with sales of $18.395 billion (11 percent growth), China with $15.744 billion (24 percent growth), Turkey with $6.99 billion (15 percent growth), India with $2.019 billion (80 percent growth), and Germany with $2.019 billion (five percent growth), were the first five countries supplying goods to Iran in 1401, he stated.

The official went on to say that the country's non-oil trade reached 159.236 million tons worth $112.821 billion in the previous year, with an 11.2 percent growth year on year.

SD/TT