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Iran allots over 2.7 billion dollars to medicine imports

Iran Materials 2 October 2013 18:30 (UTC +04:00)
The Central Bank of Iran (CBI) has paid over 2.7 billion dollars to certain banks to import medicines, raw materials and medical equipment
Iran allots over 2.7 billion dollars to medicine imports

Azerbaijan, Baku, Oct.1/ Trend R.Zamanov

The Central Bank of Iran (CBI) has paid over 2.7 billion dollars to certain banks to import medicines, raw materials and medical equipment, head of Iran's Food and Drug Organisation said on Tuesday.

"Now companies active in the field of medicine imports will be able to register their importation requests," the IRNA News Agency quoted Rasoul Dinarvand as saying.

Gholamreza Qasemi, an official with the Central Bank of Iran, said on May 12 that Iran plans to allocate more Forex to medicine imports.

Iran will increase the allocation by 25 per cent more than the previously agreed amount, the IRNA News Agency quoted Gholamreza Qasemi as saying.

Iranian Customs Administration Deputy Director Mohammad-Reza Naderi also said in May that Iran has set up special customs for importing staple foods and medicine.

A decision has been taken to speed up the release of staple foods, perishable foods and medicine, he added, IRNA reported.

Iran's Health Ministry official Hossein Ayati also said in April that some 97 per cent of Iran's required medicine is currently produced domestically.

About 50 per cent of the necessary raw material for producing the medicine is imported, he added. Last year, some $1.7 billion was allocated to import medicine which is not produced inside the country, the official said.

In November 2012, the health ministry of Iran called on the Central Bank to earmark $2 billion for importing medicine to cope with the domestic shortage as a result of international sanctions.

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