Around half of canned tuna fish factories have been forced to shut down, as most of those still open are operating at 50% of their capacity, according to the deputy head of Iran’s Conserve Industries Syndicate.
“The reason is the gradual but considerable increase in prices over the past few years. As Iranians have experienced a decline in purchasing power, canned tuna has lost most of its customers,” Masoud Bakhtiari was also quoted as saying by the news portal of Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture.
According to the official, up until four years ago, an average of 600 million cans of tuna used to be produced every year, but the figure dropped close to 300 million tons in the last Iranian year (March 2020-21).
“We estimate that 200 million to 250 million tons of canned tuna will be produced this year,” he added.
Bakhtiari noted that previously tuna was a main source of protein for the middle- to lower-income households, but unfortunately they have been compelled to reduce the share or omit the food product altogether from their grocery basket.
“Tuna production firms could increase their end prices because production costs have grown significantly. Part of the fish used in the industry is imported. Over the past few years, imports have been limited and prices have gone up. This also impact the prices of locally-supplied tuna,” he said.
“Although end prices are already high, canned tuna factories have asked the Consumer and Producer Protection Organization to consider yet another price increase. Some factories have closed down and are waiting to resume activity in late October or early November when the harvest season begins and prices are more reasonable.”
A total of 6,210 tons of canned tuna worth $24 million were exported from Iran during the last fiscal year (March 2020-21), registering a 99.3% jump in weight and a 60% hike in value compared with the year before, according to Isa Golshahi, an official with Iran Fisheries Organization.
“Our main export destinations over the period under review were Iraq, Armenia, the littoral countries of Persian Gulf and members of the Commonwealth of Independent States,” he was quoted as saying by IRNA.
The official noted that production has experienced a slight decline this year due to the fall in tuna fish harvest in Iran’s southern waters.
