Iran eyes greater share of world trade
TEHRAN - Iran plans to increase its share in the world trade to one percent from currently 0.5-0.6 percent, the deputy director of the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran has said. Kiyumars Fat’hollah Kermanshahi added that the world trade totals 36 trillion dollars annually. He further said that 30 plans have been developed to give a boost to the country’s non-oil exports. China, Iraq, the UAE, Afghanistan, and India were the top five importers of Iranian goods during the first five months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-August 22), according to the Iranian Customs Administration. Exports of Iranian goods to these countries amounted to $2.540 billion, $2.365, $1.436 billion, $1.188 billion, and $915 million in the 5-month period respectively. Exports to the five countries accounted for 80 percent of Iran’s total exports in weight and 70 percent of the country’s exports in value.
Meanwhile, the UAE, China, and India were the main exporters of goods to Iran during the same time, so that they exported $3.214 billion, $3.02 billion, and $1.614 billion to Iran respectively. Rice, fodder corn, wheat, and steel ingots were the main goods exported to Iran. Iran exported around $43.7 billion worth of non-oil goods in the previous Iranian calendar year and imported about $61.8 billion worth of non-oil goods to hit the unprecedented mark of $105 billion in annual trade.