Markazi province exports over 207,000 ornamental fishes in 4 months

September 4, 2021 - 13:45

TEHRAN- As announced by a provincial official, 207,451 ornamental fishes have been exported from Markazi province, in the center of Iran, during the first four months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-July 22).

Mohsen Shanaqi, the director-general of the province’s Veterinary Department, said the figure shows 43 percent rise as compared to the same period of time in the past year, when 144,280 ornamental fishes were exported from the province.

While ornamental fishes are bred in most of the province’s counties, Markazi stands at the sixth place in the country.

As previously announced by an official with Iran Fisheries Organization (IFO), the value of Iran’s ornamental fishes export has increased 200 percent during the first quarter of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-June 21), as compared to the same period of time in the past year,

Isa Golshahi, IFO’s director-general for quality improvement, processing, and market development, said that 85 tons of such fishes has been exported in the three-month period, indicating 608 percent growth in terms of weight as well.

He named Iraq, Turkey, and Europe as the major export destinations of Iran’s ornamental fishes in the first quarter.

The official had previously announced that the country’s fishery export has increased nine percent during the first quarter of this year.

He said that over 28,000 tons of different types of fisheries worth over $52 million has been exported in the three-month period, indicating 12 percent growth in terms of weight as well.

In terms of accessing some new target markets in the field of fisheries, the official said that cooperation with the relevant organizations such as chambers of commerce, Trade Promotion Organization (TPO), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as the non-governmental sector to open new markets in the international arena is one the agenda of the IFO’s plans.

Over the past two years, the efforts of the Aquatics’ Production and Trade Union of Iran, and the non-governmental sector have led to the addition of markets in countries such as Oman and Malaysia to Iran's target export markets in this field, he further noted.

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.

MA/MA