(IRNA) - Non-oil exports from Iran's southwestern, northwestern and central provinces of Khuzestan, East Azarbaijan and Yazd, respectively, rose during the first three months of the current Iranian calendar year (started March 21, 2006).
Khuzestan Customs Department supervisor Jassem Alem-Neissi said on Wednesday in Khuzestan's capital Ahvaz that the goods exported from the province during the said period indicate a 85 and 23 percent boost in terms of value and weight respectively.
He said that Khuzestan exported 1.48 million tons of non-oil commodities consisting mainly of ironware, steel, gas and light naphtha.
He added that 2,695 tons of goods exported from Khuzestan's border market during the same period indicate a 40 and 187 percent decrease in terms of weight and value compared with the figure for the same period in the previous year.
The official said Shalamcheh customs exported 105,000 tons of goods valued at 52.55 million dollars during the same period, while over 64,000 tons of commodities valued at 16.5 million dollars were exported from Chazzabeh's border market.
He added that the province imported 3.96 million tons of non-oil commodities valued at 3.57 billion dollars during the same period.
Alemi-Neissi said goods imported by the province point to a 48 and 141 percent increase in terms of weight and value, respectively, compared with the figure in the previous year.
He further said that Khuzestan's markets imported 517 tons of goods valued at 861,000 dollars principally from China, European countries, Indonesia, Thailand, Dubai and the Central Asian states.
Meanwhile, the deputy head of Yazd Customs Department, Mohammad Hossein Salmani Nadoushan, speaking to IRNA on Wednesday, said goods exported by the central province of Yazd during the same period show a 53 and 35 percent boost in terms of weight and value respectively.
He added that 44,806 tons of goods valued at 34 million dollars were exported by the province in the same period.
He mentioned tiles, molybdenum oxide, pistachios and pistachio kernels, ferromolybdenum, detergents and paraffins as the main goods exported by the province.
Salmani said the commodities were exported to 41 countries including Iraq, Italy, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russia, the Netherlands and Turkey.
He said 2.659 million kilos of commodities valued at 90 billion rials were imported by the province during the first three months of the current year.
In related news, the head of the Trade Department of East Azarbaijan said the province exported 271,232 tons of various goods valued at 213.449 million dollars during the same period.
Sadeq Najafi told IRNA that industrial and agricultural goods, chemicals, metals, stones and minerals, carpets, handicrafts and handcarried articles were among the exported commodities.
He said that the goods were exported to over 40 states including Italy, Ukraine, Turkey, Algeria, Germany, Britain, Syria, the United States, the Netherlands, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Austria, Belgium, Norway and France,