Azerbaijan, Baku, July 19/ Trend R.Zamanov
Some 14,984 tons of fisheries worth 58.5 million dollars were exported from Iran in the first three months of the current calendar year, which started March 21, Deputy Agricultural Jihad Minister said on Friday.
The figures show 21 and 8 per cent increase in terms of weight and value, respectively, compared to the same period of time previous year, the ISNA News Agency quoted Gholam-Reza Razeghi as saying.
"Iran's total fisheries exports are expected to reach 350 million dollars by the end of the current calendar year," he said.
"Iraq, Spain, France, Germany, and Italy are the main destination markets for Iran's fisheries," Razeghi stated, adding that Russia and Ukraine are the new markets for Iran's fisheries exports.
The Deputy Director of the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran, Kioumars Fathollah Kermanshahi said in May that some 56,000 tons of fisheries worth 214 million dollars were exported from Iran in the previous Iranian calendar year, which ended March 20.
The figures show 5.4 and 3.7 pert cent increase in terms of value and weight, respectively in comparison to its preceding year, the IRNA News Agency quoted him as saying.
European and Asian countries including France, Germany, Switzerland, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, and Turkmenistan were the main destinations.
Iran's annual catch in fishery sector was around 500,000 tons in the previous year.
Iran's total catch stood at 450,000 tons two years ago. The catch off the southern coast totaled 412,000 tons in the mentioned year, while the catch off the northern coast totaled 38,000 tons.
Access to the Caspian Sea, the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, and many river basins provides Iran with the potential to develop excellent fisheries.
Iran has 1,786 kilometers of coastline on the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. These southern waters are rich in fish and other marine resources.
Expansion of the fishery infrastructure would enable the country to harvest an estimated 700,000 tons of fish annually from the southern waters. However, increased pollution from the oil industry and other enterprises poses a serious threat to this area's fishing industry.