Essential Imports in Full Swing

The process of importing essential goods is continuing round the clock in Iranian ports.
Also known as necessity goods, essential goods are products consumers will buy, regardless of changes in income levels. 
Essential goods in 12 Iranian commercial ports reached 4.53 million tons based on the latest figures received from these northern and southern ports on Aug. 25, according to the deputy for economic affairs with Iran Ports and Maritime Organization.
“These essential goods include wheat, corn, barley, soybeans, rice, sugar, unrefined vegetable oils and oilseeds,” Farhad Montasar Kouhsari was quoted as saying by the news portal of the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development on Saturday.
The official added that based on these figures, 3.29 million tons of essential goods were stored in the southern province of Khuzestan’s Imam Khomeini Port, 441,760 tons in Hormozgan Province’s Shaheed Rajaee Port, 313,169 tons in the northern Mazandaran Province’s Amirabad Port, 175,667 tons in the same province’s Noshahr Port, 143,721 tons in Sistan-Baluchestan Province’s Chabahar Port, 73,490 tons in Gilan Province’s Bandar Anzali Port, 69,664 tons in Mazandaran’s Fereydounkenar Port, 18,063 tons in Gilan’s Astara Port, 584 tons in Khuzestan’s Khorramshahr Port, 123 tons in Shahid Bahonar Port, 70 tons in Hormozgan’s Bandar Lengeh Port and 53 tons in Bushehr Province’s Bushehr Port.
Kouhsari said that on the same day, 18 vessels carrying 417,271 tons of goods had docked at these ports and 26 others with an overall capacity of 1.25 million tons were waiting to unload their cargo.
Imam Khomeini Port is the main hub of essential imports. Shahid Rajaee, Amirabad and Noshahr are other major ports of entry for essential goods, he added.
A total of 102,000 tons of unprocessed edible oil were imported through Imam Khomeini port in the first five months of the current fiscal year (March 21-Aug. 22), Mehr News Agency reported.
This is twice the volume imported in the corresponding period of last year.
About 305,000 tons of unprocessed edible oil were cleared and transported to different parts of the country from the port during the same period. Currently, more than 324,000 tons of different kinds of unprocessed edible oils are stored at Imam Khomeini Port to be shipped nationwide in the coming days, the report added.
Imam Khomeini Port boasts 40 wharfs, 140 kilometers of railroads within its premises and the latest loading and unloading facilities.
Close to 90% of Iran’s demand for livestock feed raw material as well as 80% of grains are imported through this southern port.
In the fiscal 2019-20, the port handled nearly 15.7 million tons of essential goods.
The Central Bank of Iran provided more than $7.2 billion at the subsidized rate of 42,000 rials per US dollar for importing essential goods and pharmaceuticals in the first five months of the current Iranian year (March 21-Aug. 22), which is twice that of last year. 
Latest statistics by CBI show it has supplied $580 million for the import of barley; $939 million for oilseeds; $1,408 million for corn; $1,257 million for unprocessed or vegetable oil; $571 for soymeal; $564 million for wheat; and $322 million for essential goods categorized as “others” by the Ministry of Industries, Mining and Trade and the Agriculture Ministry. 
Furthermore, $1,611 million were provided for the Ministry of Health and Medical Education to import pharmaceuticals and medical equipment during the period.  
The provision of subsidized foreign currency at the rate of 42,000 rials per US dollar for the import of essential items and pharmaceuticals stood at $7,252 million in the five-month period.

Fiscal 2020-21 in Review

A total of 23 million tons of essential goods worth $12 billion were imported during the last Iranian year (March 2020-21), according to the spokesperson of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration.
“The lion’s share of this sum amounting to 13.44 million tons worth $3.74 billion pertained to livestock and poultry feed. This volume accounted for 58% and 31% of the weight and value of last year’s total essential goods imports respectively,” Rouhollah Latifi was also quoted as saying by IRNA.
The official noted that corn stood at 9.78 million tons worth $2.5 billion, soymeal at 1.82 million tons worth $793.94 million and barley at 1.83 million tons worth $457.32 million.
“Some 2.34 million tons of oilseeds worth $1.25 billion, in addition to 1.14 million tons of refined edible, semi-solid, liquid and unprocessed oils worth $1.06 billion, were imported during the period under review,” Latifi said.
The imports also included 14,798 tons of human medicine, medical equipment worth $1.64 billion and 451,000 tons of livestock and poultry medicines worth $64.16 million.
“Our food imports also included 936,809 tons of rice worth $868.53 million, 3.02 million tons of wheat worth $841.23 million, 1.01 million tons of unrefined sugar worth $370.66 million, 64,822 tons of dried tea leaves worth $329.12 million, 175,260 tons of different kinds of pulses worth $144.04 million, 30,487 tons of frozen or cold heavy livestock meat worth $133.27 million, 9,801 tons of butter worth $51.46 million and 4,422 tons of warm light livestock meat worth $29.17 million,” he added.
Imports of essential goods for industrial purposes and production, the IRICA spokesman said, mainly consisted of 51,415 tons of industrial machinery worth $510.8 million, 207,583 tons of different types of paper worth $190.1 million, 231,064 tons of paper pulp worth $181.06 million, 252,204 tons of fertilizers worth $153.08 million, 9,074 tons of pesticides and insecticides worth $86.27 million and 6,019 types of plant seeds worth $83.63 million. 
Latifi concluded that 76,716 tons of heavy vehicle tires worth $282.84 million were imported over the period under review. 
According to Mirashrafi, Iran imported 3.5 million tons of essential goods worth $9.7 billion from China, 5 million tons worth $9.6 billion from the UAE, $4.3 billion from Turkey, 2.2 million tons worth $2.1 billion from India and 1.2 million tons worth $1.8 billion from Germany in the year ending March 20, 2021.