Speaking to reporters in late Saturday, deputy minister of industry, mine and trade, Mehdi Karbasian, said for the first time in its history, Iran exported more than 2 million tonnes of steel last year.
At present, the Ministry of Industry, Mine, and Trade and IMIDRO [Iranian Mines and Mining Industries Development and Renovation Organization] have provided suitable grounds for the export of steel in order to maintain Irans market share despite intense international competition, he added.
The official noted that the Ministry of Industry, Mine, and Trade issued necessary permit for the export of steel at the beginning of 2013, which has been extended several times and is still in place.
Due to suitable conditions in the industry, the target figure set for steel exports in the current year is about twice the last years figure and Iran's steel exports are expected to hit 4 million tonnes, he said.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="555"]
File photo shows an Iranian worker at the Iran Alloy Steel Company's plant in the central Iranian city of Yazd. AFP[/caption]Karbasian stated that Iran's steel output hit 16.9 million tonnes last year, which was up by 2 percent compared to a year before.
Earlier in April, IMIDRO released a report announcing that Iran's raw steel production has witnessed about 10 percent rise in the first quarter of 2015.
The report added that the country produced right over 4 million tons of raw steel in the first three months of 2015, showing a 9.6-percent increase from the same period last year.
Major raw steel producers of Iran are the Mobarakeh Steel Mill, with approximately 47 percent of the market share, followed by the Khuzestan Steel Company with about 23 percent, the Isfahan Foundry with about 20 percent, and the Iran National Steel Industries Group with some 10% of the market share.
According to a report by the World Steel Association (WSA), Iran is the largest producer of crude steel in the Middle East and Africa and 14th in the world, given the hike in its steel output.
According to the Islamic Republics Vision Plan, the countrys total steel production capacity is to hit 55 million tonnes a year by 2025, with an expected exports figure of 10-15 million tonnes.
By Press TV
