Baku, Azerbaijan, Dec.1
By Dalga Khatinoglu -Trend:
Iran Customs Administration's recent report suggests that the country's gas condensates exports increased considerably in the eighth calendar month of the current Iranian year (October 23 - November 22).
The administration usually discloses the details of Iran's foreign trade a few days after the release of the first report.
But based on the first report which was released on November 30, Iran's gas condensates exports in the first eight months of the current year (which started on March 21) amounted to $4.944 billion.
According to the customs Administration last month's report, the country's gas condensates exports in the first seven months of the current year stood at $3.926 billion. So Iran averagely exported $560 million of gas condensates each month in the mentioned period.
A quick comparison between the seven-month and eight-month reports shows that Iran's gas condensates exports in the eighth month was around $1.018 billion which is roughly twofold more than the mentioned average amount for the preceding months.
Natural-gas condensate is a kind of fine and expensive oil which is produced in gas wells. Iran includes gas condensates in the list of non-oil exports.
Iran exported over $10.115 billion worth of gas condensates in the Iranian calendar year of 1390, which ended on March 20, 2012. The figure dropped by 12.5 per cent in the following year.
Iran Customs Administration's recent report also showed that the country totally exported $6.405 worth of petrochemicals in the first eight months of the current year.
According to the last month's report, the country's petrochemical exports in the first seven months were around $5.592 billion, which makes a monthly average of $798 million, while the eight month's figure stood at $813 million.
Iran exported $15 billion worth of petrochemicals in the calendar year of 1390, which is by a 33-per cent drop reached $10 billion in the calendar year of 1391.
Iran exported 56.844 million tons of non-oil goods worth $24.605 billion in the first eight months of the current Iranian calendar year, which is 12.7 per cent less than the same period last year, Iran's Customs Administration reported.
Iran also imported 18.925 million tons of non-oil goods worth $28.247 billion in the mentioned period. The figure shows 22.7 percent decrease compared to the same period last year.
China with $4.252 billion, Iraq with $3.87 billion, the United Arab Emirates with $2.318 billion, India with $1.659 billion, and Afghanistan with $1.639 billion were the main destinations for Iran's non-oil goods in the mentioned period.
Iron ore, methanol, and tar were the main exported items.
The United Arab Emirates with $5.854 billion, China with $5.539 billion, India with $2.607 billion, South Korea with $2.389 billion, and Turkey with $2.307 billion were also the main exporters of non-oil goods to Iran in the mentioned period.
Rice ($1.61 billion), press cake ($1.057 billion), wheat ($751 million), corn ($745 million), and motor vehicles with internal combustion engine ($634 million) were the main imported items.
Dalga Khatinoglu is Iran News Service head of Trend Agency