BAKU, Azerbaijan, January 12. Cooperative companies in Ardabil province, located in northwestern Iran, exported $18 million worth of goods during the first nine months of the current Iranian year (from March 20 through December 20, 2024), with expectations for further growth, Director General of the Department of Cooperation, Labor and Social Welfare of Iran's Ardabil province, Behrouz Rahimzadeh told reporters, Trend reports.
According to Rahimzadeh, the value of exports from cooperative companies in Ardabil province during the last Iranian year (from March 21, 2023 through March 19, 2024) reached $24 million.
He explained that the growth in exports is influenced by various factors, many of which fall outside the jurisdiction of the Ardabil Provincial Department of Cooperation, Labor, and Social Welfare. For instance, changes in regulations or shifts in relations with neighboring countries can have a significant impact on export performance.
The official also highlighted that the number of cooperative companies in Ardabil province rose from 2,085 in the previous year to 2,115 in the current year (from March 20, 2024 through March 20, 2025). Furthermore, the total number of employees working in these cooperative companies has now reached 18,419.
Rahimzadeh noted that, as of now, there are 641 cooperative companies involved in production, 156 in distribution, and 535 in services, while 784 cooperative companies engage in both production and distribution.
Meanwhile, according to the statistics of the Iranian Customs Administration, the country's exports of non-oil products in the last Iranian year amounted to more than 116 million tons valued at $43.1 billion. Iran's non-oil exports increased by 18 percent in value terms and increased by 13.8 percent in weight terms compared to the previous year.