Iran's imports from Tanzania increased by 35% in the 2021/22 fiscal year compared to the 2019/20 financial year, the Iranian envoy Hussein Behineh has told local media.
"The volume of trade between the two countries significantly increased in 2021/22 as compared to the preceding year. This is because for many years Iranians have been considering Tanzania the gateway to East Africa,” he said.
According to the ambassador, during the said fiscal year, goods worth $35 million were imported from Tanzania.
Iran exported $95 million worth of goods to Tanzania over the same period, the official noted.
Iran, as Behineh noted, has the potential to expand its export to $2 billion, with the most promising area being the pharmaceutical industry.
The ambassador stressed that trade between Tanzania and Iran runs a long history.
"Trade involving individuals from the two countries has a long history back to the presence of Shirazes in the East African region, especially Dar es Salaam and the auspicious Island of Zanzibar," he pointed out.
In January, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian expressed the country's willingness to help Tanzania in its development and industrialization process and provide the East African state with experience and technical know-how in various fields.
This year, the countries marked 41 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations.