Iranian government official Mohammed-Ali Javadi said China is ready to buy large volumes of Iranian seafood, following a recent delegation he led that consisted of Iranian seafood executives and officials visiting major Chinese seafood-processing firms Zhanjiang Guolian Aquatic Products and Guangdong Evergreen Corporation.
Javadi said that Chinese firms have invested in Middle Eastern and North African seafood operations before, and had seen returns from such investments, making the Iranian gamble worth taking.
“With successful experience in Egypt, Evergreen has the ability to invest and implement large fisheries projects in Iran and can participate in Iran's fisheries projects,” Javadi said, according to the Tehran Times.
The Iranian delegation also visited aquaculture firm Mingbo Aquatic, which Javadi said would cooperate with Iranian partners in developing recirculating aquaculture sites.
Another country aiming to capitalize on China’s seeming openness to seafood imports is Oman, which recently secured protocols with China that grants its seafood firms access to the Asian market.
According to the Oman Observer, shipments by 23 companies licensed to supply China have already commenced.
Oman grew its seafood output 6 percent year over year in 2023 to 793,000 metric tons (MT) and exported 324,000 MT of that figure. Oman has achieved that growth even through an overhaul of its fisheries sector and the financial struggles from some of its largest seafood firms.
Oman is one of several Persian Gulf nations seeking to build up its aquaculture industry as a way to diversify their economies and improve food security. The country has tapped Malta-based AquaBioTech Group to advise on building out its fish and shrimp production.
Besides Iran and Oman, China has widened its supply lines for seafood imports by recently opening access to several African markets, Australia, and Venezuela, among other countries.
