Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 27
By Fatih Karimov – Trend:
Over 304,000 tons of goods, worth $1.206 billion were transited through customs in Iran’s northwestern city of Astara in the first ten months of the current Iranian fiscal year (March 20-Jan-21).
The value and volume fo tranist via Astar customs has witnessed significant rise in recent years, Rasoul Omidi, head of Astara Customs Administration, told reporters.
Also 66,000 tons of goods, worth $114 million, including petroleum products, cotton, synthetic fibers, iron ingots and iron sheets, copper, fiberglass, oil products and wood were transited via the Astara checkpoint, the official said, adding the figures indicate an increase by 40 and 7 percent in terms of volume and value, respectively, year on year.
The goods were transited from Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Georgia and Russia to Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey.
About 238,000 tons of goods (a 19 percent increase year on year), worth $1.092 billion (a 37 percent increase), were also transited via Astara to foreign countries during the 10-month period, added Omidi.
Goods including electrical appliances, cars, furniture, machinery, medical equipment, construction materials, textile products, chemicals, glass containers and agricultural products were transited to Ukraine, Georgia, Russia and Azerbaijan, he said.
More than 289,000 tons of non-oil goods, worth $151 million, were exported through customs in Iran’s northwestern city of Astara in the first ten months of current Iranian fiscal year(March 20-Jan-21), Omidi said.
He added that agriculture and food products, cement, plaster, chemicals, detergents, handicrafts, textile, shoes, bags, carpet, construction materials, mineral products, metals and plastic products were the main export items.
Azerbaijan, Georgia and Russia are the main destinations for the exported items, the official said.
Omidi further said Iran imported about 211,000 tons of goods, worth $77 million, including chemicals, woods, machinery, electric goods and iron products via Astara customs during the 10-month period from Russia, Georgia and Azerbaijan.
The Islamic Republic also exported 106 tons of goods, including agricultural and food products as well as plastic materials, worth $297,000 to Azerbaijan via the suitcase trade from Astara customs during the first 10 months of current Iranian fiscal year, Omidi said.
More than 610,278 people crossed the border checkpoint in Astara during the period, the official said.
He added that the passenger traffic into Azerbaijan from Iran via Astara registered 5 percent fall in the period.
Iran's Astara Customs total income reached 373.27 billion rials (each USD makes 36,800 based on official rate) during the first 10 months of the current fiscal year(March 20-Jan. 21), which is 1 percent less compared to the same period of the preceding year.
Astara is Iran’s third border checkpoint in terms of passenger traffic.