Financial Tribune:   During the fiscal 2018-19, a total of 955,923 cars and commercial vehicles were produced in Iran, indicating a 37.8% year-on-year decline

Data released by the Industries Ministry show that during the 12 months to March 20, a total of 891,786 cars were made in the country, 38.2% lower than 1,442,598 units made a year earlier. Commercial ve­hi­cle production also registered a 31.1% year-on-year decline.  During the period, 64,137 trucks, buses, minibuses and pickups were produced, significantly lower than the previous year’s 93,158 units. The daily average car production in Iran dropped to 2,443 from 3,952 YOY. The number of commercial vehicles rolling out of Iranian factories per day also dipped to 175 from 255 in the previous year. 

Iran exported non-oil products worth 44.310 billion US-Dollar (-6%) during the last Iranian year 1397 from March 21, 2018 to March 20, 2019, ac­cor­ding to Islamic Repu­blic of Iran Customs Ad­mi­­nis­tration (IRICA). The country saw a (non-oil) trade surplus of 1,698 million US-Dollar in the year 1397. 32% (-2%) of the non-oil export pro­ducts were petrochemicals, 11% (-30%) lique­fied gases and 57%  (0%) were other pro­ducts.  China was the most important importer of non-oil products from Iran ($9.218 bln, +2%). Irak ($8.961 bln, +37%),  United Arab Emi­rates ($5.955 bln, -12%), Afgha­nis­tan ($2.927 bln,  +5%) and South Korea ($2.568 bln, -41%) were the other main ex­port mar­kets of Ira­­nian non-oil goods du­ring the eleven-month period. 

Iran imported $42.612 bln of non-oil products in the year 1397, a 22 percent fall from the US-$ figure of last year.  Corn as livestock food valued at $2,090 mln, rice worth $1.608 mln, auto parts for production of motor cars (14-30% pro­duc­ti­on in Iran, except tyres, and motors less than 2000 cc,)  worth $1,380 mln, , soy bean val­ued at $1,161 mln and soya cake ($651 mil­lion) were the major imported pro­ducts.  Chi­na ($10.315 bln, -22%), UAE ($6.567 bln, -35%), Turkey (2.617 bln, -19%), India ($2.595 bln, +15%) and Germany ($2.472 bln, -20%) were the main ex­por­ters of goods to Iran du­­ring the last Iranian year. 

Financial Tribune:   Consumer inflation in Iran registered a year-on-year increase of 51.4% in the month to April 20 compared with the similar month of last year, the Statistical Center of Iran's la­test report shows. The overall CPI (using the Iranian year to March 2017 as the base year) stood at 170.9 in Farvardin, indicating a 4% rise compared with the previous month. The ave­ra­ge goods and services Consumer Price Index in the 12-month period ending April 20 increased by 30.6% compared with last year’s corresponding period. 

EU-Iran Foreign Trade in the first two month of  2019  generated only 757 mil­li­on Euro. The 28 EU coun­tries exported goods worth € 621 mn Euro to Iran and imported goods worth € 136 mn.  Germany was the most important EU trade partner of Iran, with a trade volume of 261 million Euro, fol­lowed by Italy  (124 mn Euro) and the Netherlands (62 mn Euro).

The European Union (EU28) export of goods to Iran stood at 621 mn Euro, a de­crea­se of 60% com­­pared with the first two month in 2018.  According to the la­test da­ta by Euro­stat, the sta­tis­tical office of the European Union, 36% of the EU ex­ports to Iran ca­me from Ger­­­many, which de­­­li­vered goods worth €223 mn, that was 53% less than in January and February 2018. Second (16%) was Italy with exports worth € 97 mn  (-63%), fol­lowed by the Netherlands (€ 59 mn,         -61%) and France (€ 49 mn, -71%). 

In the first two month of the year 2019 the 28 EU countries imported goods worth € 136 mn from Iran, (a de­crea­se of 94% compared with the first two month of 2018).  Major Iranian ex­ports to the Eu­ro­pean Union (28%) go to Germany, which imported goods worth € 38 mn from Iran (-43%), fol­­lowed by Italy (€ 27 mn, -95%) and Belgium and Luxemburg(€ 24 mn, +21%).