Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 27
By Gazenfer Hamidov – Trend:
Over 267,000 tons of goods, worth $1.212 billion were transited through customs in Iran’s northwestern city of Astara to foreign countries in the first 11 months of the current Iranian fiscal year (March 20, 2017-Feb. 21).
The value and volume of transit via Astara customs witnessed significant rise by 20 percent in terms of volume and 34 percent in terms of value, respectively, year-on-year, Rasoul Omidi, head of Astara Customs Administration, told reporters Feb. 27.
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.
Also 71,000 tons of goods, worth $165 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 35 and 45 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.
More than 348,000 tons of non-oil goods, worth $180 million, were exported through customs in Iran’s northwestern city of Astara in the first 11 months of the current Iranian fiscal year, 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 235,000 tons of goods, worth $90 million, including chemicals, woods, machinery, electric goods and iron products via Astara customs during the 11-month period from Russia, Georgia and Azerbaijan.
The Islamic Republic also exported 115 tons of goods, including agricultural and food products as well as plastic materials, worth $314,000 to Azerbaijan via the suitcase trade from Astara customs during the first 11 months of current Iranian fiscal year, Omidi said.
More than 665,995 people crossed the border checkpoint in Astara during the period, the official added.
He said that the passenger traffic into Azerbaijan from Iran via Astara registered 7 percent fall in the period.
Iran's Astara Customs total income reached 504.51 billion rials (each USD makes 37,260 based on official rate) during the first 11 months of the current fiscal year(March 20, 2017-Feb. 20, 2018), which is 8 percent less compared to the same period of the preceding year.
Astara is Iran’s third border checkpoint in terms of passenger traffic.