According to Superintendent of Kurdestan Customs Administration Bakhtiar Rahmanipour, the figures show Bashmaq ranked first in goods transit among all Iranian border crossings during the period under review, IRNA reported.
The official added that 90% of Kurdestan Province's foreign trade pass through Bashmaq, which is located in Marivan County of the province.
One of Iran’s main border crossings with the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, Bashmaq is one of the few that has been open all along despite the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.
Iraq closed its land borders with Iran in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in early March.
Amid restrictions imposed by the Iraqi government on cross-border trade due to the spread of the new coronavirus, Iran has been directing the bulk of its exports to the neighboring country through borders with the Iraqi Kurdistan, mainly via Bashmaq, Parvizkhan and Tamarchin.
Iraq is the biggest destination of Iran's exports among its neighboring countries.
About 8.1 million tons of goods worth $3.8 billion were exported from Iran to Iraq through the Iraqi Kurdistan Region during the last fiscal year that ended on March 19, 2020.
The exports accounted for 42% of Iran’s total exports to Iraq in terms of value and over 31% in terms of tonnage during the period under review, Spokesman of the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration Rouhollah Latifi was quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency.
Other Border Crossings With Iraq
Parvizkhan border crossing had a share of 3 million tons worth $1.4 billion, followed by Bashmaq with $1.12 billion and Tamarchin border crossing with $754 million.
Iran exported 25.68 million tons of goods worth $8.99 billion to Iraq last year.
Iraq also reopened its Manzarieh border crossing with Iran (called Khosravi on the Iranian side) on July 23.
Iraq partially reopened its southern Shalamcheh border crossing with Iran on July 7 after more than three months of closure to combat the viral outbreak.
The crossing was being opened only for trading food commodities, allowing in some 500 trucks from Iran on Wednesdays and Sundays, an official said.
The crossings of Mehran in Ilam Province and Khorramshahr in Khuzestan Province are now also open to trade.
Mehran border terminal was reopened on June 9. Transshipment of Iranian products through this border crossing is allowed on Mondays and Wednesdays, Otaghiranonline.ir reported.
A specialized center to promote Iran’s exports of construction materials and engineering services will be opened in Iraqi Kurdistan near Parviz Khan border crossing by the private sector.
According to the secretary of the center, Nasser La’el Nouri, by tapping into the full scope of services provided by the center for a whole year, exporters and knowledge-based companies will be able to directly connect with major real-estate developers in Iraq and sell their products.
“Exporters willing to supply their products via this center should meet the standards of the Institute of Standards and Industrial Research of Iran and international standards,” ISNA quoted Nouri as saying.
“The center, which has secured business permits from Iraqi Kurdistan, Iran’s Embassy in Iraq and Sulaimaniyah Chamber of Commerce and Industry, is scheduled to be launched on July 10, once registrations of Iranian producers are completed. Similar centers are designed to be established in Afghanistan, Georgia and Oman.”