Iran's annual exports to Afghanistan to hit $2.5bn

 Iran is planning to start a considerably boost in non-oil exports to Afghanistan, a senior provincial official stated on Saturday.
"Iran is set to increase the value of its exports to Afghanistan to USD 2.5 billion by the end of this (Iranian) year," Khorassan Razavi Deputy Governor-General Reza Jamshidi said today.
He noted that 40 percent of the total volume of exports of Iran's Northeastern Khorassan Razavi province has been destined to Afghanistan.
In November, a provincial official announced that Khorassan Razavi exported around 334,000 tons of various kinds of commodities with the total value of $1bln in the first seven months of the Iranian calendar year (March 21-September 21).
"During the first seven months of the current Iranian year, Khorassan Razavi exported 334,000 metric tons of goods, which weighed 10% more compared to the corresponding period of the previous year, and 4% more in terms of value," Ali Rasoulian said at the time.
In December, a senior Iranian official announced that Tehran is aware of border markets' significant role in the enhancement of its trade interactions with the neighboring countries, and informed that a new market of this kind is to be established near Nehbandan town at the border with Afghanistan.
Iran's Deputy First Vice-President for Rural and Deprived Areas Development Seyed Abolfazl Razavi said Do-Kouhaneh border market near Nehbandan, Eastern Iran, is a proper gate for development of trade with Afghanistan.
He went on to say that efforts will be made to remove impediments and prepare the ground for activation of this border market.
Razavi said Do-Kouhaneh border market has ample potentials for being turned into one of the major gates for export and import with Afghanistan.
Iran is one of the most important donors to Afghanistan, which has kept its promises to help to the reconstruction of the war-ravaged country.
Iran has built several roads, power transmission lines, border stations and many other infrastructure projects to better link the two nations.
Iran has also contributed more than $50mln annually to Afghan anti-narcotics efforts during the last five years.
There are too many commonalities between the two friendly nations, including language, religion, culture and history.