Baku, Azerbaijan, April 5
By Gazenfer Hamidov – Trend:
More than 424,000 tons of non-oil goods, worth $220 million, were exported through customs in Iran’s northwestern city of Astara in the last Iranian fiscal year, ended March 20, Rasoul Omidi, head of Astara Customs Administration, told reporters.
Omidi said that agriculture and food products, cement, plaster, chemicals, detergents, handicrafts, textile, shoes, bags, carpet, construction materials, mineral products, metals and plastic products were the main export items, IRNA news agency reported.
Azerbaijan, Georgia and Russia were the main destinations for the exported items, the official added.
Omidi further said Iran imported about 259,000 tons of goods, worth $105 million, including chemicals, woods, machinery, electric goods and iron products via Astara customs during the 12-month period.
Over 291,000 tons of goods, worth $1.318 billion were transited through Astara customs to foreign countries in the last Iranian fiscal year, he said.
The value and volume of transit via Astara customs witnessed significant rise by 23 percent in terms of volume and 37 percent in terms of value, respectively, year-on-year, he added
Goods including electrical appliances, cars, furniture, machinery, medical equipment, construction materials, cement, plaster, textile products, chemicals, glass containers and agricultural products were transited to Ukraine, Georgia, Russia and Azerbaijan, Omidi noted.
Also 75,000 tons of goods, worth $131 million, including petroleum products, cotton, synthetic fibers, iron ingots and iron sheets, copper, fibreglass and wood were transited via the Astara checkpoint, the official said, adding the figures indicate an increase by 28 and 10 percent in terms of volume and value, respectively, year on year.
He noted that the goods were transited from Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Georgia and Russia to Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey.
The Islamic Republic also exported 121 tons of goods, including agricultural and food products as well as plastic materials, worth $331,000 to Azerbaijan via the suitcase trade from Astara customs during the 12-month period, Omidi said.
More than 737,823 people crossed the border checkpoint in Astara during the last fiscal year, he added.
He said that the passenger traffic into Azerbaijan from Iran via Astara registered 5 percent fall in the period, meanwhile the figure for passenger traffic from Azerbaijan to Iran decreased by 3 percent.
Iran's Astara Customs total income reached 564.1951 billion rials (each USD makes 37,800 based on official rate) during the one-year term, which is 3 percent less compared to the preceding year.
