Islamic Iran non-oil exports to hit $60bn by 2013

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says his administration is planning to increase the country’s non-oil exports to 60 billion dollars by March 2013.

In a televised interview with state television late on Tuesday, the Iranian chief executive said that Iran’s non-oil exports have reached USD 39.5 billion in the first half of the current Persian calendar year (started March 21), IRNA reported.

The president stated that the value of Iran’s exports will surpass USD 45 billion by the end of this year.

Ahmadinejad also pointed to an improvement in Iran’s economic conditions despite the sanctions imposed on Tehran over its civilian nuclear program and the current economic crisis facing the world.

Meanwhile, Director of Iran’s Customs Administration Abbas Me’marnejad said on Sunday that Iran’s non-oil exports in the first six months of the current year have increased by nearly 40 percent.

China was the main importer of Iranian goods and the United Arab Emirate, Iraq, India and Afghanistan were the other major destinations for Iran’s exports over this period, Me’marnejad added.

Iran also witnessed a 20.5-percent drop in its imports, with the value of the country’s imports falling to USD 29.5 billion, the official added.

Me’marnejad said steel, corn for livestock and rice were the country’s major imports.

According to Me’marnejad, the United Arab Emirate, China, South Korea, Germany and Turkey are the major exporters to Iran.