About $350 million worth of seafood will be exported by the end of the current Iranian year (March 20, 2016), said the head of Iran’s Fisheries Organization. “After the lifting of sanctions and settlement of banking issues, we seek to expand our exports to new markets in Eastern Europe, South Eastern Asia, Central Asia and Caucasus region,” IRNA quoted Hasssan Salehi as saying. The official had earlier announced export of 8,000 tons of seafood worth about $60 million the first four months of the current Iranian year (started March 21), indicating an 18% increase in terms of weight and 10% increase in value compared to the similar period last year. The official highlighted shrimp production as the organization’s strong suit, saying Iran’s average shrimp production during the previous Iranian year (ended March 21, 2015) was 3.2 tons per hectare, which is a ton higher than the global average. He added that Russia has recently joined the ranks of Iranian shrimp customers and that 5,000 tons of shrimps are expected to be exported to that country by yearend.
