TEHRAN – The Head of Shrimp and Marine Aquatic Affairs of Iran Fisheries Organization (IFO) Ghobad Mokarami has said the country’s fishery production is expected to reach 206,000 tons in the next two years.

“If we double the number of breeding pools in the next two years, we will reach more than 206,000 tons of fishery production, which is a significant number,” Mokarami said.

Iran's fishery exports in the last Iranian calendar year (ended on March 19) increased by three percent and exceeded $310 million, according to the Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA).

In its latest report, the IRICA said the weight of exported fishery products in the last Iranian fiscal year was 149,000 metric tons, which shows a 12 percent increase compared to the previous year.

During the last Iranian fiscal year, shrimp exports also reached $98.5 million, accounting for 32 percent of the total export value among Iran's fishery products.

Russia, the United Arab Emirates, and China were the main destinations for Iran's exported shrimp during the mentioned period, showing a decrease of 26 percent in terms of value compared to the previous year.

According to the report, fisheries exports account for less than 70 percent of Iran's total exports, with the UAE, China, Russia, and Iraq being the largest markets for Iran's fishery products.

Iran imported 24,000 metric tons of fishery products worth $72 million last year, indicating an increase of 121 percent in terms of weight and an increase of 113 percent in terms of value.

The growth and development of Iran’s aquaculture industry has reached the point where the country has become a model for the countries of the region and the world.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) believes that Iran plays a responsible and central role in the fishing and aquaculture industry in the region, and for this reason, it can be considered a model for the countries of the region.

Now the world markets have become the target of the export of the country's fishery products, so that, the value of fishery exports also increased by 67 percent in the Iranian calendar year 1400 compared to the preceding year.

In addition to the executive role of the IFO, the role of research and knowledge-based activities in this field is very important, and the entry of young specialists and knowledge-based experts in various sectors of the fishery industry has made the sanctions ineffective.

EF/