TPO head: Iran’s eight-month foreign trade up almost 14%
Iran’s foreign trade posted a year-onyear growth of almost 14 percent during March 21-November 21, 2018, said the acting head of Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization (TPO).
Mohammadreza Modoudi told ISNA that in the same period, Iran recorded a positive trade balance of $1 billion, adding in case optimum use is made of domestic capacities, the ¿gure can increase further.
He put the value of Iran’s non-oil exports during the seven-month period to October 22 at over $27.3 billion whereas the ¿gure exceeded $30 billion in the eight months to November 21.
Modoudi added that exports of technoengineering services in the same eightmonth duration stood at $500 million but the ¿gure fails to indicate a signi¿cant year-on-year increase and meet the expectations from the sector.
“There is a big gap between the sector’s potentials and the value of its overseas sales.”
On Wednesday, Farhad Nouri, the director of the TPO’S foreign trade of¿ce, said Iran’s foreign trade of over $27 billion during March-october was also 14 percent higher than the ¿gure for the same time-span a year ago.
He noted that at present, on average, each ton of Iranian products is sold at $400, whereas the country purchases the same tonnage of goods at $1,400.
Nouri called for closing this gap, noting, “Iran should export products with higher added value.”
Describing the current situation Iran is facing as abnormal, Nouri said, “Under the present circumstances, we are in a guerrilla warfare and the enemy is behaving wisely. Thus, in addition to ensuring more effective coordination, practical solutions should be worked out to raise the value of exports.”
He added 70 percent of the imports pertain to staples as well as intermediate and capital goods while the rest are unnecessary and luxury goods whose purchase should be controlled.