TEHRAN- Iran exported 6,210 tons of canned fish valued at $24 million in the past Iranian calendar year 1399 (ended on March 20), according to an official with Iran Fisheries Organization (IFO).

Isa Golshahi, IFO’s director-general for quality improvement, processing, and market development, said that the country’s canned fish export was 3,115 tons worth $15 million in year 1398.

Canned fish is exported from Iran, which can help factories, especially for those that use imported fish, the official said.

He said that Iran’s canned fish is mainly exported to Iraq, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Persian Gulf littoral states, and Armenia.

Fishery production has increased noticeably in Iran in recent years.

Enjoying high quality, Iran’s fishery products were sold easily in the export markets, and also some new export destinations welcomed these products in the past two years; as new markets including China, South Korea, and the Eurasian Union nations opened up for Iranian fishery products.

As announced by the head of Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA), the value of Iran’s non-oil trade stood at $73 billion in the past year.

Mehdi Mir-Ashrafi also put the weight of non-oil trade at 146.4 million tons, and said that the figure shows a 25-million-ton annual decline, which is the result of sanctions and coronavirus pandemic.

Iran’s non-oil export was 112 million tons valued at $34.5 billion, and that of import was 34.4 million tons worth $38.5 billion in the past year, the official added.

Among the country’s non-oil export destinations, China was the first, with importing $8.9 billion worth of products, Iraq was the second with importing $7.3 billion, the United Arab Emirates the third with importing $4.6 billion, Turkey the fourth with importing $2.5 billion, and Afghanistan the fifth with importing $2.2 billion, Mir-Ashrafi announced, and named gasoline, natural gas, polyethylene, propane, and pistachio as Iran’s major exported products during the past year.

MA/MA