How India’s trade with Iran could get affected amid rising Iran-U.S. tensions

India-Iran trade has grown in the last 20 years despite sanctions against the west Asian country

January 22, 2020 06:05 pm | Updated 06:20 pm IST

Gas flares from an oil production platform, as an Iranian flag is seen in the foreground, at the Soroush oil fields in the Persian Gulf, some 1,250 km south of the capital Tehran. File

Gas flares from an oil production platform, as an Iranian flag is seen in the foreground, at the Soroush oil fields in the Persian Gulf, some 1,250 km south of the capital Tehran. File

Rising tensions between Iran and the U.S. may affect India-Iran trade, which has grown in recent years despite sanctions against the West Asian country. Specifically, imports of methanol, pistachios, crude oil, and exports of varieties of tea, rice and synthetic fibres may get affected if severe sanctions are imposed.

India’s imports from Iran

The graph shows India’s imports from Iran in $ million for various products and their % share of total imports between 2014 and 2019. For instance, India imported $34 million worth kiwi fruits from Iran in this period, which formed 21.6% of India’s total kiwi imports.

Products imported by India

image/svg+xml5020105210.50.20.10.05Pistachios (In shell)Pistachios (Shelled)KiwiAlmondsDatesBetween 2014and 2019, Indiaimported morethan 10% ofthese 16 productsfrom IranMeanMean110100100010000% share of total import of productValue of products from Iran ($ million)Close to 10% ofIndia's oil importswas met by crudefrom Iran
 

India’s exports to Iran 

The graph shows India’s exports to Iran in $ million for various products and their % share of total exports between 2014 and 2019. For instance, India exported $95 million worth synthetic fibre variety (acrylic or modacrylic), which formed 55% of India’s total exports of that commodity.

Products exported by India

image/svg+xml5020105210.50.20.10.05105020010005000MeanVaccines forhuman medicineSemi/wholly milled riceTea varietiesCane sugarTurmericSyntheticfibre varietiesSome varieties of black teaand milled rice witnessedhigh demand from Iran inthe last fve yearsMean% share of total export of productValue of products to Iran ($ million)Between 2014-19, Indiaexported more than 10% ofthese seven products to Iran
 

Import history

In the time periods mentioned in the table, imports from Iran formed about 2-3% of India’s total imports in terms of product value. After a peak in 2004-2009, it has stagnated since.

What was the value of Iranian imports to India

image/svg+xmlPeriod$ million%2014-201950,377.442.32009-201458,160.842.782004-200932,051.63.21999-20042,109.630.721996-19991,967.141.6
 

Export history

In the same period, exports to Iran formed 1% of India’s total exports in terms of product value. Like imports, export growth has also stagnated in the last 10 years.

What was the value of Indian exports to Iran

image/svg+xmlPeriod$ million%2014-201915,499.61.052009-201415,079.81.122004-20098,344.21.261999-20042,204.90.911996-1999525.80.52
 

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.