Baku, Azerbaijan, June 28
Trend:
Over 200,000 tons of non-oil goods, worth $96 million, were exported through customs in Iran’s northwestern city of Astara during the first quarter of the current fiscal year that started March 20, Rasoul Omidi, head of Astara Customs Administration, said.
Iran’s exports via Astara registered a significant rise by 149 percent in terms of volume and 123 percent in terms of value, year-on-year, he said, IRNA news agency reported.
Omidi said 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 were the main destinations for the exported items, he added.
Omidi further said Iran imported about 55,000 tons of goods, worth $41 million, including chemicals, woods, machinery, electrical goods and iron products, via the Astara customs during the 3-month period from Russia, Georgia and Azerbaijan.
Also 65,000 tons of goods, worth $310 million, including electrical appliances, cars, furniture, machinery, medical equipment, construction materials, textile products, chemicals, glass containers and agricultural products were transited via the Astara checkpoint to Azerbaijan, Russia, Georgia and Ukraine in the period, the official said, adding that over 17,000 tons of goods, worth $71 million, were transited through Astara into Iran as well in the three months.
Goods including wood and oil products, cotton, synthetic fibers, iron ingots, copper, fiberglass and iron sheets were transited from Azerbaijan, Russia, Georgia and Ukraine to Turkey, Iraq and the UAE, Omidi said.
The Islamic Republic also exported 33 tons of goods, including agricultural and food products as well as plastic materials, worth $33,000, to Azerbaijan via the suitcase trade from the Astara customs during the same span of time, Omidi added.
More than 243,000 people crossed the border checkpoint in Astara in the period, he said.
He added that the passenger traffic into Azerbaijan from Iran and vice versa via Astara registered a 27-percent and a 31-percent increase in the 3-month period.
Iranian Astara Customs' total income reached 160.89 billion rials (each USD makes 42,500 rials based on official rate) during the same span of time, which is 79 percent more compared to the same months of the preceding year.