Non-oil Exports & The Export Promotion Center Of Iran     The beginning of the 21st century coincides with years of the third five-year plan for the country’s cultural and socio-economic development. A strategy concentrated upon boosting export is being pursued and thus relevant measures have been forecasted within this plan for the realization of the quantitative and qualitative aims of the export program. In its economic dimension, the third economic, social and cultural development plan pursues two important aims: Institutionalization of the required structures; Employment of political, economic and cultural obligations and essential works in a manner as would make the achievement of a stable growth possible. The strategy to boost exports, referred to above, naturally requires certain bases and fundamentals. A few of those, which have been stressed upon in the third development plan, are as follows: Inclination on a market based economic structure having the means for export promotion.   (Unrestricted export of goods and services); Export orientation of the industrial, mining, agricultural and service sectors; Making production competitive from view point of price and quality; Harmonizing the financial and foreign exchange policies of the country with an aim to promote exports; Harmonizing the external and trade policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran and removal of restrains in international relations; Provision of banking, customs, and transportation services commensurate with the aim to promote exports; Suitable insurance coverage and guarantees for export; Creation of new incentives in the field of exports; Augmentation of export of services which is less vulnerable as compared to export of goods.     (Our country has the capability to export services in more than 40 sectors); Initiation of a program for penetrating the target market; Prompt monitoring of market opportunities; Modification of the economic structure and harmonizing the rules and regulations governing production, investment, labor and management with an aim to promote exports. In order to enumerate the quantitative aims of the program during the period of the third plan, one can state that the export of goods and services shall have an average growth of 16 % per year and shall grow from $ 5,767 million in the first year of the plan to $ 10,308 million in the final year of the plan.   During this period, the export of goods shall reach an amount of $ 8,800 million in the final year of the plan from the amount of $ 4,581 million in the first year, indicating an average annual increase of 18%. The growth in export of services has been forecasted as 6% and their export is expected to increase from $ 1,186 million (2000) to $1,508 million in the year 2004. In general, the foreign exchange earnings of the country from export of services is forecasted to be $ 6.8 million. The increase in exports of various sectors is forecasted as: industry 24%, petrochemicals 20%, mines and metals 18%, agriculture 12% and finally carpets and handicrafts 8%. This forecast is compatible and congruous with the capabilities and potentialities of these sectors. Even though there exists a possibility to increase the exports of carpets up to 12%, yet in order to prevent a saturation of the market and on the basis of past experience that insists on quality rather than quality, the growth has been retained at 8%. The quantitative export aims, segregated for each sector, during the term of the third five-year plan, have been stated in the table below:   With the coming of the new President, Mr. Khatami, in the political scene of the country, several major and minor steps have been taken and these can form a suitable basis for export promotion. During the preceding years, the policy to regulate the internal market had cast its shadows over the entire economic affairs of the country. In order to regulate the internal market, exports were being controlled even without any consideration to the obligations of the exporter in the foreign market. But nowadays, the policy to control exports has been replaced by the policy to provide incentives for exports. During those times, the exporter could only utilize 50% of the proceeds of his export earnings and even this was later changed to 100%. Today, one cannot claim that the export earned foreign exchange is being converted at a lower than actual rate of exchange.