Close to 806,000 metric tons of non-oil goods, valued at $308 million, were exported via Iran’s northwestern Astara port during the past Iranian calendar year (ended March 20), managing director of Astara Customs Hamidreza Mohammadi said on Tuesday.
“The figures show a 13% increase in terms of weight and 1% decrease in terms of value compared with the preceding year (ended 20 March, 2014),” he was quoted by IRNA as saying. Food stuff, plastic and agricultural products, carpet, construction materials, minerals, handicraft, cement, detergents and petrochemical products were the main items exported from Astara to countries such Azerbaijan, Georgia and Russia, he added.
He further noted that nearly 204,000 tons of non-oil goods, valued at $111 million, were imported via Astara port during the same period, recording a 101% increase in terms of volume and 41% decrease in terms of value compared with the preceding year.
“Machinery, wood, petrochemical and home appliances were the main commodities which were imported mainly from Azerbaijan, Georgia and Russia,” Mohammadi said.
Almost 13,000 tons of non-oil goods worth $25 million were exported from Astara in the form of suitcase trade during the past Iranian year, which shows a 19% and 35% increase in terms of weight and value respectively compared with the preceding year.
The official added that more than 37,000 tons of non-oil goods, valued at $139 million, transited via Astara last year, recording a 28% increase in terms of weight and 13% decrease in terms of value compared with a year before.
Wood, synthetic fiber, steel ingot, copper, and steel sheet were the main transit goods via Astara port from countries such as Russia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia to Turkey, Iraq and the UAE.
Astara Port’s customs earned 372.1 billion rials in revenue ($132 million at the official exchange rate) during the past year, which indicates a 85% increase compared with the preceding year.
