TEHRAN- Iran’s value of fishery exports reached $37.42 million during the first quarter of the current Iranian calendar year (March 20-June 20), the spokesman of Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) announced.

Rouhollah Latifi put the weight of fishery exports at 23,462 tons, of which 606 tons valued at $272,000 were caviars, Tasnim news agency reported on Wednesday.

The official named Germany, Japan, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, United Arab Emirates, China, Hong Kong, Russia, Thailand, Azerbaijan, Qatar, Kuwait, and Armenia as some of the export destinations of the Iranian fishery products during the three-month period.

He also put the country’s fishery imports at 3,305 tons worth $6.979 million during the first quarter, and mentioned Singapore, China and India as the major exporters to Iran.

On June 10, Iran’s Veterinary Organization announced that the country has resumed exports of fishery products to the European Union (EU) member states.

As announced by the Iranian Agriculture Ministry, despite the U.S. sanctions that have created many problems for the export of fishery products, through the efforts made by the veterinary organization, the country succeeded to obtain again the license to export aquaculture and fishery products to the member states of the European Union.

Iran’s fishery output reached 1.28 million tons in the past Iranian calendar year (ended on March 19), the head of Iran Fisheries Organization (IFO) has announced.

Nabiollah Khoun-Mirzaei said it is while the planned figure was 1.25 million tons, and underscored that this amount of output was achieved despite the sanctions and related difficulties in the previous year.

The official noted that the output, which was more than the projected amount, was achieved through the help of research sectors as well as the ground laid by the private sector.

Referring to the high quality of Iran’s fishery products, the head of IFO said that these products were sold easily in the export markets.

In mid-January, the official had also said that new export destinations have welcomed Iran’s high-quality fishery products in the past Iranian calendar year.

New markets including China, South Korea, and the Eurasian Union nations have opened up for Iranian fishery products in the current year, Khoun-Mirzaei said.

“Based on the negotiations and agreements signed between Iran and China by the minister of agriculture, the Chinese fishery market has been opened to Iranian products. The Eurasian nations and South Korean markets have also welcomed Iranian fishery products and have the potential for exports,” the official explained.

According to the deputy head of Fishery Organization Hossein Ali Abdolhay, some 12 aquatic species are already bred in Iran and the figure is planned to reach 17 by the end of the Sixth Five-Year National Development Plan (March 2021).

Meanwhile, Managing Director of Iran’s Agricultural Parks Company (APC) Ali Ashraf Mansouri has recently announced that some 1,500 hectares of fishery parks are planned to be inaugurated in the country in the current year.

MA/MA