MNA � Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the mineral and industrial sector in the first four months of the current year (March 21 � July 21) registered a 60 percent decline as compared to the same period of last year.

Accordingly, $554.4 million worth of industrial and mineral project was recorded in the Foreign Investment Board in the same period.

This statistic is related to 24 trade, industrial and mineral projects that had been approved in the first three months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21 � June 21), so that any new development plan was not approved in the Foreign Investment Board in the last month of current year (July 21).

In the first four months of the current year (March 21 � July 21), a number of 24 industrial, mineral and commercial projects, costing $346.3 million, had been approved in the Foreign Investment Board.