Iran’s quarterly non-oil exports stand at $8.9b

TEHRAN,July 8(MNA) - Iran exported some $8.9 billion worth of non-oil goods in the first three months of this year, which began on March 20, said the head of Customs Administration. The IRNA News Agency quoted Abbas Memarnejad as saying that the country imported as much as $12.5 billion worth of goods during the same period of time. Urea fertilizer, polyethylene and tar were the major non-oil goods which were exported, mainly to Iraq, China, the UAE, and Afghanistan. The main imported goods were iron and steel ingots, corn and wheat, he added. Iran has scaled up its trade with 160 countries this year, despite being embattled with global economic sanctions, Memarnejad said in April. He added that the non-oil trade balance decreased to $17.9 billion last year from $30.5 billion the year before. He added that exports rose by 28 percent year on year, while imports fell by four percent. Iran exported $43.7 billion worth of non-oil goods last year and imported $61.8 billion worth of goods, hitting the unprecedented mark of $105 billion in annual trade.