Iran imports basic goods worth over $9b: IRICA
Official statistics released by the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) indicate that in the first seven months of the current Iranian calendar year (started March 21), over 13 million tons of essential commodities of 20 different types were imported into the country, worth $9.163 billion.
The imports of basic goods have experienced a 0.98% increase in terms of weight and a 4.97% decrease in terms of value compared to the same period last year, according to ISNA.
Corn, semi-solid and liquid edible oils, various types of oilseeds, rice, wheat, barley, chemical fertilizers, heavy rubber, soybean meal, raw sugar, printing and writing paper, paper pulp, dry tea, legumes, red meat, chemical technical poisons, chicken meat, various seeds, and newspaper paper were among the 20 essential commodities imported to the country.
Corn has secured the top position among essential imported commodities exceeding 4.9 million tons, worth more than $2 billion. Semi-solid and liquid edible oils rank second, with over 1.1 million tons imported, valued at $1.8 billion.
Red meat, chemical fertilizers, and barley have the highest increases in imports among the essential commodities while the imports of chicken meat, dry tea, raw sugar, and rice have decreased by 62% compared to the first seven months of the previous Iranian calendar year.
Figures by the IRICA show the country's foreign trade reached $64.4 billion in the seven months to October 22 with a deficit of $7.7 billion.
Iran exported 79.5 million tons of non-oil commodities worth $28.3 billion from March 21 to October 22, IRICA head Mohammad Rezvani-Far said last week.