Caviar Export Value Up 22%

Close to 580 kilograms of caviar worth around $1.39 million were exported to 12 countries during the first half of the current Iranian year (started March 20), registering an 18.5% decline in weight and 22% increase in value compared with the corresponding period of last year.

Each kilogram of the Iranian delicacy was sold at $2,400 to Spain, Germany, the UAE, the UK, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland, France, Qatar, Canada, Malaysia and Hong Kong, ISNA reported.

Last year, nearly 1.5 tons of caviar were produced in Iran, over 65% of which-worth $1.7 million, were exported to register a 183.3% rise compared to the previous year, mainly because of higher prices in international markets.

According to Hossein Ali Abdolhay with Iran’s Fisheries Organization, it is estimated that 3 tons of farmed caviar and between 1,500 and 2,000 tons of sturgeon meat will be produced this year.

Last year, 2.2 tons of farmed caviar and 1,000 tons of sturgeon meat were produced, Mehr News Agency reported.

Presently, 82 sturgeon farms across the country produce mostly beluga, among other kinds of sturgeons, due to its popularity in the international market.