TEHRAN – Rising seafood consumption in Qatar presents a significant opportunity to expand Iranian shrimp exports, Iran’s commercial attaché in Doha, Abbas Abdolkhani, says, citing growing demand, geographical proximity, and Iran’s production capacity as key competitive advantages.
In an interview with IRNA, published on Saturday, Abdolkhani said that Qatar relies heavily on imported shrimp and that increasing demand for high-quality seafood, driven by the country’s diverse population and expanding food service sector, has created favorable conditions for Iranian exporters.
He said Iran’s shrimp farming industry, particularly in the provinces of Bushehr, Hormuzgan, Khuzestan, and Sistan and Baluchestan, is well positioned to supply the Qatari market, supported by advances in processing, packaging, and product quality.
He described the geographical proximity between Iran and Qatar as one of Iran’s greatest export advantages, saying the short maritime route between Iran’s Dayr Port and Qatar’s Al Ruwais Port enables faster delivery, lower logistics costs, and the supply of fresher products—an advantage many of Iran’s more distant competitors do not enjoy.
Iran’s trade attaché in Qatar stressed that success in the Qatari market will depend on maintaining international health and quality standards, investing in professional marketing, developing distribution networks, and expanding exports of value-added shrimp products to meet demand from restaurants and catering businesses.
He concluded that Iranian shrimp can compete effectively with products from major suppliers if exporters adopt a long-term strategy and strengthen commercial ties with Qatari importers.