Hormuzgan province has 22 fishing ports stretching from the Sea of Oman to the Persian Gulf.

BANDAR ABBAS, Hormuzgan, May 7--Construction of Iran’s largest fishing port in this Persian Gulf port city has shown a physical progress of 71 percent, said a senior provincial fisheries official here on Sunday, adding that on completion, the port will help boost local economy.
Mousa Badiei, director general of Hormuzgan Fisheries, told ISNA that the 119-billion-rial project is not only expected to create jobs but will also increase the safety of fishing activities in the area.
“Some 70 billion rials has so far been spent on this project, which was launched in 2002,“ he said but stopped short of mentioning a date for its completion.
“Fishing ports provide small and large trawlers with a sort of shelter and help them organize their activities,“ he said.
He pointed out that Hormuzgan province has 22 fishing ports stretching from the Sea of Oman to the Persian Gulf.
“The construction of this huge port will create more than 13 hectares of sea resorts (previously occupied by fishermen) along some of the city’s best seashores,“ he said, adding that seafood restaurants, malls and a huge aquarium will be constructed in these areas.
Investments in port development and shipbuilding projects have reached a total of three billion dollars.
Some 100 shipbuilding projects are underway in the country.
The total cargo capacity of ports is expected to reach 145 million tons by the closing year of the Fourth Five-Year Plan (2005-2010).
The country needs to purchase 40 vessels until 2009. The International Maritime Organization has 140 member states with Iran ranking among the top 20.

$280 million worth of goods were exported to Iraq through cooperatives in border areas during March 2005-2006.

TEHRAN, May 7--Cooperative companies account for some 20 percent of Iran’s non-oil exports, said the secretary general of Iran Chamber of Cooperatives here on Sunday.
According to Fars news agency, Mohammad Reza Ramezani further said that there are 90,000 cooperative companies in Iran, stressing that 20,000 more need to be established in the year to March 2007.
“Under the Fourth Plan (2005-2010), the cooperative sector must create 360,000 jobs (per annum),“ he said, adding that the chamber is seriously following up the establishment of a cooperatives bank.
He said the Iranian cooperatives have established favorable cooperation with Iraqi cooperative companies, adding that $280 million worth of goods were exported to the war-ravaged country through cooperatives in border areas during March 2005-2006.
Ramezani said the chamber is planning to hold specialized exhibitions in Kenya and Afghanistan this year.
Cooperative Minister Mohammad Nazemi Ardakani said earlier that the cooperative sector can play a crucial role in creating jobs and bringing economic prosperity, stressing that the sector needs to raise its share in the national economy from the current five to 25 percent during the Fourth Five-Year Plan (2005-2010).
The minister said that cooperatives bank will become operational soon, adding that the bank will try to promote the economic role of cooperative companies.
He said the cooperative sector is planning to hold long-term training schemes.
Cooperatives have 13.5 million members nationwide.
Experts say that cooperatives have to account for 25 percent of the gross national product (GNP) in the next decade, which is an ambitious objective that requires national determination.

More than 50 major gold mining regions have been identified across the nation.

TEHRAN, May 7--Following record high world gold prices, Iran has announced a major gold mining expansion plan across the resource-rich country, which itself is one of the major consumers of the precious metal.
According to Fars news agency, State Geological Organization is planning to develop exploration projects in gold-rich south Iran areas of Shahr-e Babak, Tangvieh and Dareh-Zaq in Kerman province.
Gold exploration projects will also be stepped up at Khorapeh, Zeytounjian and Barika in the northwestern province of West Azarbaijan.
The organization’s Public Relations Office has reported that two major gold mine development projects in the Khorasan region have so far shown favorable progress. The Sharafabad and Gandi gold projects are being implemented by private companies, it said, adding that exploration studies have been completed in 20 major zones.
More than 50 major gold mining regions have been identified across the nation.
Some 250 billion rials has been earmarked for 14 gold exploration projects during the Fourth Five-Year Plan (2005-2010).
Experts say Iran has the potential to produce 23 tons of gold per annum during the Fourth Plan. Iran has one of the world’s richest mineral reserves.
On international markets, gold prices rose for a fifth straight session last week, extending a rally to the highest in 25 years, rising $8, or 1.2 percent, to $676.50 an ounce, the highest closing price since Oct. 16, 1980. Gold has gained 30 percent this year.

TEHRAN, May 7--The government’s decision to relax the import of cement and iron is expected to lead to a five-percent decline in housing prices, said a housing market expert here on Sunday.
Ahmad Reza Sarhadi told ISNA that the ban on cement and iron imports and limited domestic supply had caused prices of construction materials to rise.
He said imports will end middlemen’s activities which have disrupted supply of construction materials.
“Construction costs and housing prices will come down by five percent thanks to the import of iron and cement,“ he said, adding that middlemen have stockpiled cement and iron to cause artificial price hikes in the housing market by refusing to release construction materials into the market.
He predicted that housing units will be selling at lower prices in the year to March 2008.
The cabinet agreed late last month to eliminate tariffs on imported cement and iron in a bid to regulate market prices of the strategic products.
Cement and iron required for completing development projects that the ministries of housing and urban development, roads and transportation, energy and oil have at hand will be imported until late September as per the cabinet approval.
Some 350,000 housing units were constructed during March 2005-2006, when the country needed at least one million new constructions. The figure showed a decline of 250,000 units against that of the corresponding period the previous year.
Experts say recession in the construction sector has been unprecedented in the past 30 years.
Exorbitant real estate prices and the low purchasing power of the majority of people are chiefly to blame for low-profile real estate market.
Bank Maskan (housing bank) has decided to increase the ceiling of housing loans by a further 20 million rials to 200 million rials in an apparent bid to give the troubled housing market a new lease on life.
However, experts say the new banking facilities and incentives have failed to revive the long stagnant housing market seen as a key indicator of economic growth.
Iran will need 25 million new houses in the next 20 years.

TEHRAN, May 7--Iran began transmitting power to Iraqi Kurdistan in a ceremony held recently in the western Iranian province of Kurdestan.
According to Iran’s Economic News Agency, power exports to Iraqi Kurdistan will be conducted via a 365-meter-long transmission line.
Several senior authorities of Iraqi Kurdistan and the Iranian Kurdestan participated in the opening ceremony.
Iran has established greater power industry cooperation with regional countries in recent years.
Energy Minister Parviz Fattah said earlier that the ministry is planning to connect the national power supply grid to that of European countries via Russia to expand its international power cooperation.
Fattah said the Iranian power industry is also ready to participate in power projects in Central Asia, Persian Gulf littoral states and Africa.
Power consumption growth rate in Iran is three times higher than that of advanced countries. Average growth in power consumption stands at 3-3.5 percent in advanced countries as against Iran’s 10 percent.
Experts say Iran needs to generate at least 35,000 megawatts more electricity in the next 10 years given the rapidly-growing consumption.
One hundred percent of urban and 97 percent of Iran’s rural populations have access to electricity.

TEHRAN, May 7--Trade with Sweden has reached $1.5 billion a year, said the head of the joint chamber of commerce here on Sunday.
According to ILNA, Abdolreza Rezaei Hanji told reporters that Iran exports half a billion dollars worth of goods to the European country, whose exports to the Islamic state stand at over a billion dollars per annum.
Hanji said that Iran exported mainly foodstuffs, vegetable oil, wax, petrochemicals, handicrafts, fine Persian rugs and dried fruits and nuts to Sweden. Stockholm mostly sells heavy machinery, including road-building, mining, packaging and power plant industry equipment, to Iran.
He said Iran-made goods are also exported to Sweden through third parties, most notably Germany and the Netherlands. He did not mention what kinds of goods are exported through third countries.

TEHRAN, May 7--The Asia and Pacific Department of Iran’s giant auto-manufacturing company Iran Khodro Industrial Group announced here Saturday that Bangladesh and Pakistan have ordered over 5,000 gas-fuelled Samand cars with right-hand drive.
Given the financial capability of South Asian markets and competitive advantage that Iran enjoys, it said the company can gain a foothold in these markets in a relatively short period.
It said over 30 percent of the world population drive cars with steering wheels on the right side. “Iran-Khodro can, through a cohesive plan, gain a share of the market.“
The company has other automobile production ventures with foreign countries and companies in a bid to market share or increase exports to regional markets.
An official of the company said here in March that 200 Samand models have already been exported to Russia since the start of 2006.
Iran Khodro Deputy Director for Exports and International Affairs Alireza Mirzaie told IRNA that the first consignment of Samand was exported after the company received the necessary license from the Russian Standards Institute.
He said that the exports, given the fact that the Russian Federation is a competitive market for vehicles in the world, shows that Samand has captured a share of the market in that country.
He said that the export license granted to the company by the Russian Standards Institute is a laudable achievement for the Iranian vehicle industry. “Exports of cars to Russia are expected to top 3,000 units in the current year.“
Samand cars designed to suit the Russian climate and requirements of Russian customers are known as ’North Samands’, he added.

BANGKOK, Thailand, May 7--Iran has expressed interest in buying up to 400,000 tons of Thai rice but under ’almost impossible’ terms, terms which Thai exporters have urged the government to help resolve, Thai News Agency said.
Thai Rice Exporters Association Chairman Chukiat Opaswong said a group of Thai exporters are negotiating to sell 400,000 tons of Thai rice at an asking price of $320 per ton, higher than the global average price range of $310-312.
Thai traders are asking for the higher price because of tough terms by Iranian buyers--including required quality inspection by Iran, and rigid specifications regarding the product, which adds at least $10 per ton cost if suppliers meet the terms.
Iran bargained for a price of $305 per ton, an offer Thai exporters find unacceptable.
Chukiat said the Thais will meet again to collectively negotiate with Iran. If talks fail, the government will be asked to negotiate.
Rachane Pojanasunthorn, director general of the Foreign Trade Department, Ministry of Commerce said the export of another 400,000 tons of Thai rice follows the successful sale of 500,000 tons of Thai rice to Iran, now being shipped.
Rachane said Iran wants to conduct barter trade with Thailand to exchange oil for Thai agricultural commodities.
He will soon lead a delegation of Thai businessmen and investors--including from state-owned energy firm PTT Plc.--on a trade mission to Iran to explore cooperation including an oil-for-food barter trade transaction with Iran.