Tehran: The value of Iran's non-oil exports rose by 47.7 per cent in the first two months of the Iranian year to $526 million, the official news agency IRNA reported. "Export of non-oil commodities shows an increase of 86.16 per cent growth weight wise and 47.7 per cent value wise," it said, quoting a report on Friday by Iran's customs department on non-oil exports from March 21 to May 21.The report put growth in petrochemical exports at 21.04percent at $111 million in the two months. IRNA did not give comparative figures. "A customs official expressed hope that with the current trend of growth the nation would be able to earn over $4 billion in the export of non-oil items by the end of the year," it said. Iran's non-oil exports had been stagnant in the past few years.
They fell two percent to about $3 billion in the Iranian year to March 20. Iran, badly hit by a slump in oil prices, has had little success in boosting non-oil exports despite moves to relax tough foreign exchange controls and restrictivestate regulations.
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.