BAKU, Azerbaijan, November 21. Iran’s Ardabil Province, located in the northwest of the country, has attracted the interest of Azerbaijan and Iraq for its petrochemicals and related products, said Masoud Irani, chairman of the Industry, Mine and Trade Organization of Ardabil Province, Trend reports.
Irani also said that the province has improved the quality of its petrochemical products since the beginning of this Iranian year (March 21, 2023) and has expanded its market in neighboring countries.
“Ardabil Province is one of the border regions of the country and has great potential in the industrial sector. It can become one of the main hubs of the country for producing and exporting various types of goods,” he added.
The chairman also reported that the province exported $51 million worth of non-oil products, weighing 111,000 tons, in the first seven months of the current Iranian year (March 21 through October 22, 2023).
According to him, the main export items were petrochemical products, steel ingots, MDF (medium-density fiberboard), rubber, potatoes, fruits, vegetables, and so on. The main destinations were Iraq, Türkiye, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
“On the other hand, the province imported $62 million worth of goods, weighing 10,000 tons, in the same period. The imports were mainly raw materials and various types of equipment,” he noted.
In general, there are 1,045 active manufacturing enterprises operating in Ardabil Province.
Overall, Iran’s overall non-oil exports reached $28.3 billion in value and 79.5 million tons in volume in the first seven months of the current Iranian year (March 21 through October 22, 2023). Compared to the same period of the previous Iranian year, the value of non-oil exports decreased by 1 percent, while the volume increased by 29.3 percent.
At the same time, the country imported 20.9 million tons of goods worth $36 billion over the course of seven months. This is an increase of 12.6 percent in value and 6.21 percent in volume compared to the same period last year.
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