Iran's Pharmaceutical imports grow 15%; official
Spokesman of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) Seyyed Rouhollah Latifi announced on Monday that Iran sees 15% growth in imports of medical equipment, medicines during the current Iranian year.
Speaking to ILNA news agency, The spokesman said “From the beginning of the current Iranian year (March 21, 2019) until March 08, 2020, 25,516 tons of medical and pharmaceutical equipment worth over $2.243 billion have been imported, which means more than 15% increase in weight and 5 percent growth in value.
He added that at the same time, 1,590,793 tons of rice also imparted to Iran worth $1.673 so it means that in terms of value, rice imports grew by 3% over the same period last year.
Referring to the import of cold red meat, latifi said “141,677 tons of red meat worth of $572 million were imported which is 26.5-percent growth in weight and 20% increase in value compared to the same period last year.
The spokesman confirmed that an Iranian current year, wheat import was about 343.493 tone which is worth over $89 million.
Last week, Iranian officials accused the Trump administration of “medical terrorism” over U.S.-imposed sanctions that have severely hampered Iran’s ability to respond to the coronavirus outbreak. Iran has asked the International Monetary Fund for $5 billion in emergency funding.
“In (a) letter to counterparts @HassanRouhani informs how efforts to fight #COVID19 pandemic in Iran have been severely hampered by US sanctions, urging them to cease observing them,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Twitter.
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