Almost 30,000 industrial estates operational in Iran

TEHRAN,Dec.18(MNA) - More than 30,000 industrial estates are currently in operation in Iran with around 85,000 units, ISNA quoted Iranian deputy industry minister Fakhrollah Molaii as saying on Monday. Some 74,000 units in the industrial estates are considered as small businesses, he added. The units have created almost 600,000 jobs, he noted. Export of Iran’s industrial products has risen 40 percent in the first half of the current Iranian calendar year (started March 20, 2012), Press TV quoted Safdar Rahmatabadi, deputy industry minister for legal affairs, as saying. He reaffirmed Iran’s resolve to further promote non-oil exports, noting that Iranian products are now sold in the markets of 170 countries. Rahmatabadi pointed out that despite the West’s sanctions and economic pressures, Iranian products are among the best commodities in the world. Iran is among the top 10 countries in terms of mineral resources and its automobile and food industries rank 13 and 30 respectively in the world, the official added.