TEHRAN – Development of the shrimp farming industry in the four southern Iranian provinces would be capable of creating some 500,000 direct and indirect job opportunities in the region.

No economic sector including the oil industry, is as economical as the shrimp farming planned to be developed in the four southern provinces because, thanks to their superior quality, Iran’s shrimps are easily and directly offered at the U.S. markets without tariffs or in some cases with very little tariffs, the Persian service of Iranian Students News Agency ISNA quoted Arsalan Qasemi, an expert in the field as saying on Friday.

After joining the World Trade Organization (WTO) many of our industries would be seriously damaged. However, our agriculture sector in particular the fisheries, not only would not be harmed by accession to the organization rather, many of the problems currently facing the industry would be solved. It would be benefited by the measure, noted the official.

Iran has about 2,700 hectares of coastline most of which enjoy water resources available to them. Incidentally, the seashores are located at the parts of the nation that are considered as the world’s dry regions. This provides a very suitable condition for shrimp farming, he noted adding, the issue, however, calls for the cooperation by both the public and private sectors.

He put this year’s (Iranian year ends March 20) shrimp production at 2,400 tons and presumed that the next year’s harvest from the four provinces is expected to hit 10,000 tons.