About 9,000 tons of cultured shrimps were produced during the current year (started March 20, 2012,) said director general of Iran’s Fisheries Organization for Shrimps and Aquatics.
Omid Reza Asghari said the figure is expected to reach 10,000 tons by the yearend. He added that about 8,026 tons of shrimps were produced in the country last year and the figure is expected to increase by 25 percent by the end of the current year.
The official also said that 4,426 hectares of lands are under shrimp cultivation nationwide, adding that Bushehr province produced 6,500 tons of shrimps in the current year and ranked first in the country in this respect.
Ashari said Hormuzgan, Sistan-Baluchestan, Khuzestan and Golestan provinces are also active in the field of shrimp production.
Gholamreza Razzaqi, the head of Iran Fishery Organization, said in October that $210 million worth of aquatics were exported in the past year and the figure is expected to exceed $350 million in the current year.
He said more than 800 tons of aquatic products are planned to be produced this year while the figure for last year was 663, 000 tons.
The official also said that development of aquatic breeding is one of the top priorities of agricultural sector, pointing out that implementation of cage fish farming projects is among the objectives pursued by the organization.
Razzaqi referred to China, South Korea, European and neighboring countries as the main destinations for Iran’s aquatic exports.
Iran Daily 2013