Iran’s H1 exports of stone products tops $1.3b: IRICA

Iran exported 2.46 million tons of stone products worth over $1.3 billion during the first six months of the current Iranian year (March 20-September 21) to 40 countries, according to the spokesman of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA).

“These products include all kinds of limestone, gypsum, magnesium oxides, grains and powders of marble, sandstone, cut stones, smooth sand, marble, crystal porcelain, travertine, pumice stone, various types of sand, Siliceous soils and clay,” Rouhollah Latifi said, according to Fars News Agency.

The official said that 40 countries including Iraq, Armenia, Oman, Qatar, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, India, Pakistan, Kuwait, Indonesia, Georgia, South Korea, Russia, and Sudan imported Iranian stone products during the said period.

Latifi added that Ivory Coast, Hong Kong, Germany, Spain, Italy, Vietnam, Taiwan, Greece, Jordan, Malaysia, Thailand, Poland, Albania, Egypt, Georgia, China, Bangladesh were also among target markets of Iranian stone products.

IRICA said in a statement on Monday that Iran’s foreign trade has exceeded $24.6 billion in the first five months of the current year (March 20-August 21) as 52 million tons of goods were exported during the period.

The IRICA also said that Iran exported 2.212 million tons of steel ingots worth $767 million, mostly to East Asian countries.

China is the biggest customer of Iranian steel ingots with $358 million worth of imports.

The statistics also show that in the same period more than five million tons of metallic minerals, worth $1.8 billion, were exported.

The value of the export of the mining sector was $2.176 billion, more than 50 percent of which pertained to steel.