Tehran, Iran, Sept. 18
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Iran’s exports to Qatar grew by more than 81 percent during the first five months of the current Iranian calendar year (started March 21), the head of the Iranian-Qatari Chamber of Commerce announced.
More than $119 million worth of goods were shipped from Iran to Qatar in the first five months of this year, registering an 81.2 percent rise from the same period last year, Adnan Mousapour said.
Last year, Iran exported over $65 million worth of goods to the Arab country, he added.
Qatar accounted for 1.35 percent of Iran’s exports in terms of weight and 0.62 percent in terms of value, making it the 20th biggest importer of Iranian goods, the official said.
White cement, steel, wooden artifacts, vegetables, sweets, rosewater, henna, fruits, sugar, and bitumen oil were among the products exported to Qatar during the period, Mousapour said.
This comes a year after the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain imposed an embargo on Doha, accusing it of supporting terrorism.
The four states cut diplomatic and transport ties last year. Qatar, which had many of its imports trans-shipped from the UAE and received the bulk of its fresh food across the Saudi border, denied the accusations against it.
Imports into Qatar plunged about 40 percent from a year earlier in the initial weeks of the boycott, but they have since mostly returned to normal as Doha has found alternatives in countries such as Iran and Turkey, and developed new shipping routes through places such as Oman.
Qatar has also launched a drive to produce more things locally, including foods.