TEHRAN- Iran’s annual sturgeon farming is anticipated to reach 3,600 tons in the current Iranian calendar year (ends on March 20, 2021), Iran Fisheries Organization (IFO) Head Nabiollah Khoun-Mirzaei told IRNA.

The official also said that 126 sturgeon breeding farms are now active in 21 provinces throughout the country.

Through the government’s supportive measures and creation of required infrastructures, the country’s fishery output has reached 1.282 million tons in the present year, which is a considerable figure, the IFO head further noted.

He went on to say that of the mentioned figure, 526,729 tons were related to aquafarming and 755,728 tons was the fishing output.

Khoun-Mirzaei said the country’s fishery export stood at 146,000 tons worth $538.9 million in the past Iranian year, while the import was 29,000 tons valued at $98.9 million, so Iran’s fishery trade balance was $440 million in the previous year.

He further announced that 233,059 persons are currently working in the country’s fishery sector.

The official has previously said that Iran’s annual fishery production is anticipated to reach 1.5 million tons in the current Iranian calendar year (ends on March 20, 2021).

He put the country’s fishery output at 1.28 million tons in the past year.

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.

MA/MA