Goods Transit beyond Targets

Some 5.8 million tons of goods have been transited via Iran in the first six months of the current year (started March 20), showing a 45-percent increase beyond targets set by the Fifth Five-Year Economic Development Plan (2010-15), deputy minister of roads and urban development said.

Shahriar Afandizadeh said over 5.3 million tons of goods were transited via roads, while some 486,000 tons of commodities were transferred via railroads, Fars News Agency reported.

Totally, about 92 percent of the commodities were transited via roads and 8 percent via railroads, he added.

“Bandar Abbas (Hormuzgan province) with 30 percent of cargo transportation, Parvizkhan terminal (Kermanshah province) with 24.4 percent, Bazargan terminal (West Azarbaijan province) with 10 percent, Bashmakh terminal (Kurdestan province) with 8.6 percent, Sarakhs terminal (Khorasan Razavi province) with 8.1 percent, and Lotfabad terminal (Khorasan Razavi province) with 3.8 percent are the most active border points nationwide in terms of importing commodities.”

This is while, he added, Imam Khomeini Port (Khuzestan province) with handling 27 percent of outbound transit, Bandar Abbas (Hormuzgan province) with 12.2 percent, Bashmakh terminal (Kurdestan province) with 8.6 percent, Sorkh terminal (Khorasan Razavi) with 7.5 percent, Dogharoun terminal (Khorasan Razavi province) with 7.3 percent, and Lotfabad terminal (Khorasan Razavi province) with 6.5 percent are top active border points in terms of exporting commodities.

According to the official, the major transit activities were from Iraq as the source nation to UAE as the target nation, as well as from Turkey to Turkmenistan, and from UAE to Iraq.

He hoped that the country can handle 11.5-12 million tons of goods by the yearend (March 2013).

Afandizadeh continued that the majority of goods which are transited via Iran include fuel and oil products, petrochemicals, construction materials, cottons, home appliances, trucks and passenger vehicles, foodstuff, and chemical fertilizers.

The official also referred to the country’s high potentials for making progress in the areas of export and import, adding using these capabilities will play a significant role in creating jobs and bringing about more national wealth for the Iranian nation.