MNA � Products worth $16.5 billion were exported from the customs of the Iranian province of Hormozgan during last fiscal year (ended March 20), of which $2.7 billion were the goods produced in the southern province, a senior official said.

Khalil Ghasemi, head of Hormozgan Industries, Mining and Trade Organization, said that most of Hormozgan�s goods were shipped to the Persian Gulf littoral states and East Asian countries.

Industrial and mineral commodities constituted 76% of last year�s total exports from Hormozgan, he said, adding that other exported goods included fruits and vegetables, construction materials and salt.

According to the official, the organization has planned to provide the condition to increase the province�s exports up to $3.5 billion by the end of the current fiscal.

Hormozgan province has 32 active ports, including Iran�s biggest container port, Shahid Rajaee, which accounts for more than half of the country's total port throughput. Maritime transportation accounts for 85% of Iran�s foreign trade.