Iran saw its exports of non-crude goods surge by 81% in the eight years to March 2021 despite restrictions facing the country because of US sanctions and the spread of the coronavirus pandemic that hit the global trade in the past two years.
A Tuesday report by the official IRNA news agency said that non-oil exports from Iran had reached a total of $345.717 billion during the two four-year terms of President Hassan Rouhani beginning in fiscal year 2013-2014.
Citing figures by Iran’s customs office IRICA, the report said that Iran’s exports had topped $190.816 billion in the eight years under a previous administration that began in 2005.
On imports, it said that Iran had taken delivery of $368.729 billion worth of goods and products in the eight years to March 2021, down $51.729 billion against the previous similar period.
The surge in exports comes as Iran has been forced to rely on non-oil shipments to compensate for significantly lower crude sales, especially since 2018 when a former government in the United States pulled out of an international agreement on Iran’s nuclear program and imposed sanctions on the country.
Rouhani is to hand over power to Iran’s president elect Ebrahim Raeisi early next month. The incumbent administration announced earlier in July that it would be up to Raeisi’s government to decide on the ongoing talks between Iran and major global powers to revive the nuclear deal.
Raeisi has indicated that he would continue to support the non-crude sector of the Iranian economy by providing more investments to agriculture and manufacturing activities in the country.