Azerbaijan, Baku, Aug.26/ Trend F.Milad/
The number of registered orders for importing goods has been reduced by around 20 percent, alarming the bell of commodity shortage in the country, an official with the Iranian Chamber of Commerce said.
Majid Reza Hariri told the Pana News Agency that the reduction in the number of orders was due to the cumbersome procedures at customs and the unfair method of allocating foreign currency to importers.
Iran exported around $43.7 billion worth of non-oil goods in the past calendar year and imported some $61.8 billion worth of goods, to hit the unprecedented mark of $105 billion in annual trade, the Customs Administration head said.
Abbas Memarnejad said non-oil exports rose by 28 percent compared to the year before, while imports declined by 4 percent, the Fars News Agency reported.
Iran has scaled up its trade with 160 countries this year, despite being embattled with global economic sanctions, Memarnejad said in April.
He added that the non-oil trade balance decreased to $17.9 billion last year from $30.5 billion the year before.
He added that exports rose by 28 percent year on year, while imports fell by four percent.