Baku, Azerbaijan, Sept.1
By Fatih Karimov - Trend: Iran expects its seafood exports to hit $350 million in the current Iranian fiscal year, which started on March 21.
Hassan Salehi, the head of Iran's Fisheries Organization, stated that seafood exports are projected to rise 15 percent this year, Iran's Fars news agency reported on September 1.
"We are planning to expand export markets in East Europe, Southeast Asia, Central Asia, and Caucasus," he added.
He also said that the Iranian private sector would export 5,000 metric tons of shrimp to Russia in the current year.
Last year, over $300 million of seafood was exported to Vietnam, Iraq, and the United Arab Emirates, he noted.
Salehi said in August that 19 firms have already acquired Russia's permit on the import of fishery products, all of which were confirmed by the government.
In the wake of western stiffening sanctions against Russia, Iran's Fisheries Organization has been considering exporting fishery products to the country.
Also, tariff on Iran's fishery products exports to Russia will fall to as low as 2.25 percent compared to the earlier 25 percent which had decreased the competition power of Iranian exporters in target markets, Salehi stressed.
Edited by CN