Tehran,Iran, Jan.31
Trend:
Minerals worth $8.3 billion have been exported from Iran last Iranian year (March 21, 2017), Mohammad Reza Bahraman, the head of Iran Mine House told Trend.
"The customs statistics show that 58.99 million tons of minerals including iron ore, cement chain, steel chain and steel products, copper chain, aluminum chain and related products, nickel, stones, bricks, ceramics, sponge iron, coal and coke, lead, zinc, chromium chin, precious metals have been exported," he said.
"The exports volume of the current year (March 20, 2018), had a 3-percent drop, while the exports worth had a 6-percent rise," he added.
Referring to the biggest minerals importer countries he named Iraq, China and the UAE, which are the major customers of Iran, and account for 40 percent of exported minerals from last year (March 21, 2017- March 20,2018).
Further speaking, Bahraman said that regarding the minerals, Iran's Yazd and Kerman provinces are known as Iranian mine heavens.
"Before the inauguration of the Sangan Iron Ore Complex (SIOC), Kerman Province ranked first in production, due to its giant mines, including Sarcheshmeh Copper Complex and Golgohar mine, but now the South Khorasan Province ranks first and is a big mineral producer due to Sangan Iron Ore Complex," he said.
Bahraman elaborated on the country's future plans, saying that "preserving current production level and developing production to reach the 2026 targets are the general plans."