Iran’s seafood exports increased by 19 percent to 166,000 metric tons (MT) over the 12-month period ending in March 2022, according to State Fishery Organization (IFO) Head Hossein Hosseini.
Hosseini told Iranian media that the value of exports also went up by 14 percent to USD 554 million (EUR 526 million) for the same period.
Iran’s seafood exports have continued to increase as the country gains access to new markets such as Oman, Malaysia, China, South Korea, Lebanon, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey, and the European Union.
Countries in Southeast Asia purchase 75 percent of Iran’s seafood output – including shrimp, eel, squid, shark, and ribbonfish. Europe’s seafood imports from Iran include trout and lobster, according to the Islamic Republic News Agency.
Hossein said Iran’s total marine fish catch output for the year ending March 2022 was about 700,000 MT, with the country’s fish farmers producing more than 610,000 MT for the same period.
Iran, with a population of more than 80 million, has been battling selected international economic sanctions over its nuclear development program. Despite the challenges it plans to increase its marine fishery output to 1.06 million MT in the coming three years, and support fish farmers increase their production to at least 1.5 million MT by 2025.
Iran, through the IFO – the main agency responsible for fisheries and aquaculture management in Iran – has been implementing a reform plan for its fishery sector, as the country strives to increase fishery production to a total of 2.6 million MT by 2026.
Under the reforms, the IFO helping fishing industry value-chain operators access low-interest bank loans as part of a program to enable country’s livestock, poultry, and aquaculture sectors to access 10 percent to 12 percent working capital to support their enterprises.
Elsewhere, the IFO is working with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to increase the seafood output and variety offered by Iran for the export market by developing the country’s marine cage aquaculture.
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