Iran, Pakistan Set Gasline Task Division

Tehran and Islamabad have discussed the scope of work under the mega project of $1.5 billion IP gas pipeline and finalized the responsibilities as to which country would complete the tasks of engineering, procurement and construction while laying down the 781-km pipeline in Pakistan will get started.
Both sides have divided the scope of work between them during the second day of talks by technical experts. Deputy chief executive of the state-owned company Tadbir headed the delegation of Iran and managing director of Inter State Gas Systems (ISGS) led the Pakistan side in the meeting, Fars News Agency reported on Wednesday.
A delegation member said that the scope of work with regard to engineering, procurement and construction of pipeline was minutely deliberated in length.
Both sides also discussed the finances involved in the project. It was discussed what interest Pakistan will pay to Iran on the loan of $500 million it will extend and when repayment of the loan will get started.
The official expressed reservation about announcing degree of progress on the financial issues of the project, saying it was too sensitive keeping in view the opposition of US. However, he said that the repayment of loan will be paid to Iran along with payments of gas price.
Asked what mode of payment would be adopted keeping in view the illegal sanctions that have been imposed on Iran by the US and the EU, he said that the payment is not an issue as Iran is not concerned about it. “However, Iran wants Pakistan to ensure the amount of the loan and the amount in the head of gas price available with it when the mega project would come on stream in December 2014”.
The official also said that experts of the Finance Ministry have deliberated financial issues including mode of payments of the loan and the gas price at length with the visiting Iranian delegation.

Joint Venture to Build Township in Tajikistan

Translated by Farzam Vanaki

Iranian, Russian and Chinese companies in a joint venture plan to construct an industrial township in the suburb of the Tajik capital of Dushanbe.
Since construction of this industrial township is of the outmost importance to Tajikistan as well as the said countries, firms from other countries were also invited to participate in the project, IRNA reported on Wednesday.
In late February, managers of interested companies will hold a meeting in Tehran to study the feasibility of implementing the project and decide about its future.
If they reach an agreement on implementing the project, probably they will begin its construction by the end of 2013, the report said.
Earlier, Ministry of Economic Development and Trade of Tajikistan had announced in the industrial township, some 180 industrial plants with different capacities at the cost of $250 million will be constructed.
It added that by constructing the township, the Tajik government intends to increase its export capacity and create new job opportunities, in addition to developing its industrial sector and cutting reliance on imported goods.
Tajikistan plans to produce glass, plastic products and syringes in the township which are imported at present. The project is forecast to be implemented in 3 years and become operational by the end of 2016.
Currently, some 70 townships are operational across Iran that by turning raw materials into final products create value-added. These industrial townships have turned Iran into an industrial country which has been able to cut most of its reliance on imports.
Iran’s industrial ability is indicative of the fact that Tajikistan’s decision to use its experiences has been justified.
Tajikistan’s Statistics Committee has put transactions with Iran at $210 million in 2012.

45% of Population In Cooperative Sector

Domestic Economy Desk

About 45 percent of Iranians are involved in the cooperative sector, said the managing director of Bank-e Tosse Tavaon (Cooperative Development Bank).
Speaking in the Second Conference of Cooperative Chambers and Unions of Cooperative Companies, Mashallah Azimi said some 184,00 cooperative companies have been established in the country, adding efforts should be made to improve their performance, Mehr News Agency reported.
He added that the share of the cooperative sector in the country’s economy stands at 10 percent, and that the figure should increase to 25 percent.
Speaking in the same conference, Deputy Head of Iran’s Chamber of Cooperative Samad Marashi said that an expert team has been formed to hold meetings with the Majlis Research Center and devise a roadmap for the cooperative sector.
He referred to the cooperation between Majlis and the Chamber of Commerce he said that the cooperative units are involved in 50 decision making bodies of the country.
Also Deputy Head of Iran’s Chamber of Cooperative Zakaria Motevali said that Iran’s cooperative sector has been a member of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) since 1994.
He also said that a high ranking delegation from ICA and Asia Pacific region will travel to Tehran to get acquainted with the potential of Iran’s cooperative sector.
Managing director of Khaneh Ta’avongaran (House of Cooperative Officers) Ali Hossein Shahrivar said in February because the cooperative sector seeks to have a 25-percent share in Iran’s economy by the end of the Fifth Five-Year Economic Development Plan (2015), at least 45 percent of investments should be made in this sector.
He also said that a portion of ceded state-run firms should be converted into cooperatives.
A credit worth $1 trillion should be invested by the end of the Fifth Plan to reach an 8-percent growth across the country, of which $475 billion should be invested in the cooperative sector, Shahrivar said.

More Transit Flights Use Iran Airspace

Domestic Economy Desk

Some 135,745 flights used Iran’s airspace during Dec. 21, 2012-Jan. 20, 2013, indicating a 3-percent growth compared to the same period of the year before.
According to Public Relations Department of Iran Airports Company (IAC), 729,561 passengers were carried via 6,174 flights at 30 busy routes to and from the country’s airports, ISNA reported.
In addition, over five million tons of commodities were transported in the routes.
Close to 2,300 flights were registered in 30 international routes, leading to transportation of over 305,000 travelers and 5.4 million tons of cargo.
Also based on the report of IAC’s Office for Renovation and Technology, Iran has witnessed a 3-percent rise in transit flights during Dec. 21, 2012-Jan. 20, 2013 against the same period of the year before.
Some 132,346 transit flights used Iran’s airspace during Dec. 21, 2011-Jan. 20, 2012.
Around 80 percent of the handled flights pertains to airports of Mehrabad, Mashhad, Imam Khomeini, Shiraz, Kish, Ahwaz, Isfahan, Bandar Abbas, and Tabriz.

Tehran, Moscow Agree to Increase Energy Cooperation

Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi and Russia’s Energy Minister Alexander Novak signed an agreement for further cooperation between the two countries in the field of energy.
The deal was reached after the 10th Russian-Iranian Joint Economic Commission was held in the Russian capital, Moscow, on Tuesday, Press TV reported.
It includes cooperation in the fields of energy, oil, gas, petrochemical industry, electricity, water and renewable energy resources.
“Today’s session was a new page in our relations with Russia. It was a breakthrough. We have important ties in many fields including industry, politics, economy, trade, tourism, space and many others,” Salehi said after the signing of the agreement.
He stressed that Tehran and Moscow were willing to further develop bilateral relations.
The Russian energy minister, for his part, said Moscow was also interested in strengthening ties with Tehran.
As part of the agreement, the two countries agreed that Russia would supply equipment to Iran to enable joint oil and gas projects.
Salehi said that Russian companies would get a chance to develop oil and gas fields in Iran.

Mobile Phones Active In 45,000 Villages

Domestic Economy Desk

Some 33,000 villages have access to landline phones and about 45,000 villages are under coverage of cell phone network, according to a report released by Telecommunication Company of Iran (TCI).
Out of 35,563 villages of the country, 34,418 have access to telecommunication facilities. Close to 33,317 villages have fixed line phones, while the rest have rural telecommunication centers, Fars News Agency reported.
Total number of villages which have access to fixed line phones has reached 53,000 in light of providing communication services to 18,434 villages with population less than 100 people.
Also the rate of villages with fixed telecommunication lines has reached 53,000 nationwide.
At present, some 10,000 information and communication technology (ICT) centers render telecommunication services to the rural population across the country. They also connect villages to the internet.

Kiwi Exports Up by 125%

Domestic Economy Desk

The value of kiwi exports from the northern province of Mazandaran passed $2.2 million during March 20, 2012-Jan. 19, 2013, said the head of Mazandaran Industries, Mines, and Commerce Department.
Morteza Hashempour said that the figure has grown by 125 percent against the same period of the year before, Shata News wrote.
The weight of Kiwi exports rose to 2,615 tons from 1,330 tons during the period showing a 97-percent rise.
He also said Mazandaran kiwi is exported to CIS countries such as Armenia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, and Azerbaijan, Persian Gulf littoral states, Turkey, Iraq, and Lebanon.
The official said the west of Mazandaran has favorable climatic conditions, high precipitation, and fertile lands.
Mazanadaran province ranks first in terms of kiwi production, he said, adding presence of proper markets in CIS nations and Arab countries has prepared a good opportunity for exporting kiwi.
Kiwi is a small fruit about 4 inches long and weighing about 5 ounces with the bright green body stippled with little black seeds.
Its green smooth body is nearly like cream in body with an energizing taste suggestive of melons, strawberries and bananas, also with its own singular sweet taste.
Close to 100,000 tons of kiwi has been harvested from Mazandaran province which is the fruit’s top producer in Iran, said the managing director of Mazandaran Gardeners Association in December.
Mohammadreza Shabani said the harvest season has ended, and the crop harvested from Mazandaran gardens which has high quality, is kept in cold chains.
No problem exists for kiwi growers in keeping the crop this year (to end March 2013) in light of the government’s support and construction of numerous cold chains, he added.
Kiwi can be stored at cold chains for six months, he said.
Pointing to the existence of 6,000 hectares of land under kiwi cultivation across the province, he said one kilogram of kiwi is purchased between 6,500 and 7,000 rials from gardeners and sold between 10,000 and 15,000 rials in market.
He put the export price for kiwi at between $1.3 and $1.5 in global markets.

Lead-Zinc Production

Some 142,500 tons of lead and zinc ingots were produced during 10 months of the current Iranian year (started March 20, 2012), which shows a 7.8-percent rise comparing the figure for last year.