Shana-- A senior petrochemical official says Iran is likely to raise its output by 10 to 20% this year from a year ago.

Ali Mohammad Bossaqzadeh, director of production control at National Petrochemical Company (NPC), said Iran�s petrochemical output showed a 5 to 10% growth in the first half of the current Iranian calendar year which began on March 20 and is expected to grow even more to 10-20% by the yearend.

He said production of petrochemicals has grown dramatically in comparison with the previous calendar year which is because of increased feedstock flow to petrochemical facilities and inauguration of new plants during the year.

He said domestic consumption of petrochemicals has increased 12 to 18% in the current year.

A member of NPC�s board of directors, Bossaqzadeh added that petrochemical plants have undergone overhauls in the first half which means their production will rise in the second half of the year.
Iranian petrochemical plants can supply 65 million tons of petrochemical products annually, an amount expected to more than triple within the next few years.