Mazandaran, Iran, Apr. 16
By Umid Niayesh, Temkin Jafarov - Trend:
Iran's largest port in the Caspian Sea, Amirabad has a capacity for storing about 131,000 metric tons of grain currently which will be increased in the new future, an Iranian port official said.
Mohammad Sadegh Rangavar, head of the port's operational affairs told Trend April 16
the capacity is planned to reach to 400,000 metric tons, he said, adding Kazakhistan's private sector is participated in construction of the storage silos in the port.
Rangavar further said that Iran imports grain from Russia and Kazakhstan via Amirabad port.
Kazakhstan is among the world's major grain exporters. The Caspian port of Aktau in western Kazakhstan can handle between 500,000 and 600,000 metric tons of grain annually, a large part of which goes to Iran.
Increasing Kazakhstan's grain export to Iran up to 2.5 million metric tons is among the main priorities of the country.
Wheat worth $2.29 billion topped the list of Iran's imported goods in last fiscal year(ended on March 20) with 4.36 percent share from the country's total imports' value. The Islamic Republic imported 6.95 million metric tons of wheat in last fiscal year, indicating an increase by 75.3 percent in terms of volume year on year.
Rangavar said that currently, the Amirabad port has ten operational docks which carry out trade with all Caspian Sea states.
He added that alongside with grain, metals, construction materials as well as minerals are the main goods which are shipped via the port.
Over 3.6 million metric tons of goods were shipped via Amirabad port in the last fiscal year, Rangavar said, adding exports shared 1.6 million metric tons of the mentioned volume.
He also added that the port transits oil products from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan.
Rangavar further touched upon the investment opportunities in the port, saying foreign investors in particular from Turkey and Russia are currently active in the Amirabad Port Special Economic Zone.
A Turkish investor has built a plaster plant in the zone which exports its products to Turkmenistan, he said.