Azerbaijan, Baku, May 2/Trend M. Moezzi
Although its national slogan is 'Domestic production, support for Iranian investments and jobs', Iran's government is permitting the import of $24 billion (USD) in goods, $10 billion of which is for foodstuff.
The figure is consistent with the long range picture of Iran's economy, Fars news agency reports.
Over the past 31 years, more than $770 billion has left Iran to pay for imports with the pace quickening in recent years.
Imports continue to increase despite economists and experts warnings that the biggest obstacle to domestic production is uncontrolled imports of consumer goods. That's especially true with the addition of the extensive smuggling of goods into Iran.
According to data issued by the Central Bank of Iran and its customs agency, imports surged from more than $73 billion from 1997 to 2001 to $165 billion in 2002 to 2006, more than doubling.
The sharp growth continues. From 2007 to 2011, Iran imported $286 million in goods.