Iran’s Southeastern province of Sistan and Balouchestan has exported $272mln worth of non-oil products in the first 11 months of the current Iranian year (March 21, 2011 to February 19, 2012), a provincial official announced.
Governor-General of Sistan and Balouchestan Province Ali Mohammad Azad made the remarks on Wednesday, saying that the progress showed 11.5% growth compared with the same period last year.
Azad who was speaking at a meeting of the Fifth Work Group of Sistan and Balouchestan Non-Oil Exports in 1390, added, “Meanwhile during the same period non-oil goods worth US $127 million were exported through the province’s border shopping malls.”
According to a Sistan and Balouchestan Governorate report, at the meeting he also referred to the excellent potentials of the province for exports, arguing, “Creating sustainable jobs and activation of the country’s international borders are among the privileges of boosting the non-oil exports and therefore, prompt respective planning is required.”
Late in December, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad lauded the country’s growing non-oil exports, and said Iran’s non-oil exports will equal its imports in the next Iranian year.
“The value of Iran’s non-oil exports in 2005 was $7bln but it has already reached $32.6bln under the present government and will reach $45bln this year,” Ahmadinejad announced at the time.
“God willing, non-oil exports will equal (Iran’s) imports by the end of 1391 (march 19, 2013),” he said, adding, “That would be a great revolution in the country’s economy.”
In March 2011, a senior Iranian economic official announced that the country plans to boost its non-oil exports to $301 billion within the next five years.
Iranian Deputy Commerce Minister Hamid Safdel stated at the time that Iran’s non-oil exports, excluding gas condensates, will reach $301 billion in a five-year peri
