Iranian First Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri speaks during the first day of the 23rd Iran handmade carpet exhibition in Tehran on August 23, 2014.[/caption]Irans first vice president says the countrys non-oil exports reached USD 16 billion in the first four months of the current Iranian calendar year (started march 21).
Non-oil exports increased by 20 percent in the first four months of this year compared to the same period last year, Eshaq Jahangiri said in the Iranian capital, Tehran, on Saturday.
He made the remarks during the opening ceremony of the 23rd Iran handmade carpet exhibition.
Irans neighboring countries including Iraq are the target markets for Iranian goods and services, he stated.
Jahangiri also called on Iranian authorities to pay more attention to exports of modern industrial products besides other traditionalexport itemssuch as carpets, pistachios and saffron.
Irans major exported items comprised liquefied propane, methanol and bitumen and the main export destinations, in descending order, were China, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan and Turkey.
The Tehran carpet exhibition, which accommodates morethan 700 participants, will end on August 29.
Iran exports USD 500 million worth of hand-woven carpets annually, which amounts to one third of the global market.
There is an estimated population of 1.2 million carpet weavers in Iran, producing carpets for domestic and international markets.
By Press TV
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