A total of 13 million tons of goods worth $10 billion have been imported into Iran since the beginning of the current Iranian year on March 21, the deputy head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration said.
“Field corn with 3.8 million tons, wheat with 2.8 million tons, oilseeds with 1.22 million tons and unrefined edible oils with 750,000 tons topped the list of 25 imported essential goods,” Foroud Asgari was also quoted as saying by ILNA.
Also known as necessity or basic goods, essential goods are products consumers will buy, regardless of changes in income levels.
In the last Iranian year (March 2021-22), around 30.9 million tons of essential goods worth $19.6 billion were imported, IRICA data show, registering a 32% and 60% rise in weight and value respectively compared with the year before.
The Government Trading Corporation, affiliated with the Agriculture Ministry, is in charge of ensuring an adequate supply of essential goods to the local market.
GTC says it imported 3.11 million tons of essential goods by 130 vessels in the first half of the current Iranian year (March 21-Sept. 22), registering a 29% drop in weight compared with the similar period of last year,
During the corresponding period of last year, GTC imported more than 4.4 million tons of essential goods via 173 vessels, IRNA reported.
According to GTC, adequate domestic production and sufficiency of strategic reserves of essential goods have led to a decline in their imports this year.