TEHRAN- As announced by a provincial official, over 40,000 tons of fisheries worth more than $76.5 million were exported from Hormozgan province, in the south of Iran, during the first eight months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-November 21).

Sasan Sadeqi, the acting head of the province’s Fisheries Department, said that with 25 percent of the country's fisheries production, Hormozgan has been able to gain significant foreign currency, adding that 83 fishery units are working in the fields of processing, canning, fishmeal and fish feed in the province.

Persian Gulf littoral states, Russia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand and China are the main destinations of fisheries exported from the province, he added.

It should be noted that Hormozgan province, by producing more than a quarter of Iran’s fishery products, has a significant contribution to bringing foreign currency to the country, and it was ranked first in terms of fishery export in the country in the past Iranian calendar year 1400 (ended on March 20).

In late November, Agriculture Minister Javad Sadati-Nejad announced the launch of the country’s first fishery industries park.

Making the announcement on the sidelines of the 6th International Fisheries Industry Exhibition (IFEX 2022), Sadati-Nejad said the country's first fishery park was put into operation in which every year 1,000 tons of shrimp will be produced.

According to the official, the volume of shrimp production in this park will increase to 2,000 tons by the end of the current Iranian calendar year.

Sadati-Nejad stressed his ministry’s support for the companies active in the fishery sector, saying: “The Ministry of Agriculture and Iran Fisheries Organization (IFO) support investors active in the field of fisheries and seafood production, which in addition to improving the economy, increasing exports and foreign revenues, it also brings job creation.”

The minister also announced the growth of the export of aquatic and fishery products, including caviar, in the current year.

In late May, Head of Iran Fisheries Organization (IFO) Hossein Hosseini said the country is aiming to increase the exports of fishery products to one billion dollars by the Iranian calendar year 1404 (begins on March 21, 2025).

Hosseini said the country's fishery production in the previous Iranian calendar year stood at 1,268,000 tons, and according to the IFO’s new reform plan, fishery production is set to increase to 2,600,000 tons by the year 1404.

According to the official, Iran exported 160,000 tons of fishery products worth $556 million last year.

Following the IFO’s reform plan, the organization is implementing a program to provide the country’s fisheries with low-interest bank loans since subsidized input is no longer provided for them.

According to the director-general of IFO’s Planning and Budget Office Rajab-Ali Qorbanzadeh, Agriculture Ministry is collaborating with IFO for providing working capital at a rate of 10 to 12 percent to the country’s livestock, poultry, and aquaculture production units.

MA/MA