A total of 28,000 tons of seafood worth $52 million were exported from Iran during the first three months of the current Iranian year (March 21-June 21), showing a 12% and 9% rise in weight and value respectively compared with the similar period of last year, according to the director general of Seafood Quality Improvement, Processing and market Promotion Department with Iran Fisheries Organization.
“The exports included close to 15,600 tons of different kinds of fish, around 4,000 tons of shrimps and 713 tons of canned tuna,” Isa Golshahi was also quoted as saying by IRNA.
The official noted that 85 tons of ornamental fish were exported to Turkey, Iraq and some European countries during the three months, indicating a 608% and 200% YOY hike in volume and value respectively.
“Our canned tuna is mainly exported to Oman and the UAE. Recently, we made improvements in our harvest and processing methods with the help of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and as a result of that, trial exports of tuna were made to Japan this year. We hope our exports in the field will reach commercial scales in the near future,” he added.
Golshahi said close to 6,210 tons of canned tuna worth $24 million were exported during the last Iranian year (March 2020-21), showing a 99.3% and 60% rise in weight and value respectively compared with the year before, with the main destinations being Iraq, Armenia, the littoral countries of the Persian Gulf and the members of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Imports of seafood over the three-month period, he added, reached 2,790 tons, registering a 20% decline compared with the corresponding period of last year.
A total of 140,000 tons of seafood worth $430 million were exported from Iran to 26 countries during the last Iranian year (March 2020-21), according to Nabiollah Khounmirzaei, the head of Iran Fisheries Organization.
“More than 693,000 tons of seafood were harvested from Iran’s water bodies and around 529,000 tons were produced in fish farms across the country,” he was quoted as saying by IRNA.
The official estimates that this year, 700,000 tons of seafood will be harvested from seas and 800,000 tons more will be produced in aqua farms.
A total of 146,000 tons of seafood worth $539 million were exported from Iran in the fiscal 2019-20.
Iran is a major seafood producer in the region with trout, caviar and shrimp being the main exported products.
Over the past few years, Iran has set up cages for fish farming in the sea as well as water bodies behind dams, and is expanding the business as part of its plans to increase seafood production.
Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari Province in southwest Iran accounts for 40% of Iran's seafood production.
The province has the capacity to produce 240,000 tons of seafood per year.
Middle East's biggest seafood production unit is active in the industrial city of Shahr-e Kord.
Located 97 km from the central Iranian province of Isfahan, Shahr-e Kord has the biggest capacity for breeding salmon.
According to Golshahi, the county’s per capita seafood consumption reached 13.3 kilograms in the last Iranian year (March 2020-21), up 3.9% from 12.8 kilograms the year before.
