MNA � In the first half of the present Iranian calendar year (started March 21, 2019), above $2.2 million of handicraft were exported by suitcase from southeastern Kerman province, showing a growth of 100 percent, compared with the same time in the year before.

�Handicraft exports via suitcase from Kerman stood at $861,000 in the first half of the preceding Iranian year,� head of the provinces Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts department of Kerman announced on Saturday.

�The number of foreign tourists visiting the province in the said time increased 16 percent in the said time, compared to the same period in the year before, leading to the increase in suitcase exports,� Fereydoun Fa�ali said.

As reported, exports of non-oil commodities from Kerman reached $263 million in the first half of the current fiscal (March 21- September 22), registering a 13% rise compared with last year�s similar period.

the province�s exporters have been securing their footprint in the international markets, noting that Kerman's products are now offered in Oman, Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan, CIS countries, the UAE, China and some European states, reports say.