MNA � Deputy Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade for Industries Affairs Farshad Moghimi said food industry experts increased by 10% in nine months of the current year (March 21 � Dec. 21).

He added that the country�s foodstuff exports recorded seven and ten percent hike in terms of weight and value respectively.

Speaking in a meeting of monitoring the situation of food industry with a focus on studying important indicators of industries such as production of strategic products, he expounded on the situation of liquidity, trend of supply of raw materials and exports and also imports trend.

According to him, the import of food products into the country has decreased by 30 and 23 percents in terms of weight and value respectively as compared to the last year�s corresponding period.

Production is the main objective of the Ministry of Industry, he added.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Moghimi pointed to the international restrictions imposed against the Islamic Republic of Iran and said, �with the coordination made in this regard, effective steps have been taken in order to solve problems facing industrial and production units.�

The deputy industry minister put the current number of active industrial and production units in the country at 85,000, 10,000 of which are working in the field of food industries.