TEHRAN – The director-general of the development of the aquatic products department of the Fisheries Organization of Iran Issa Golshahi said on Sunday that the country exported more than $16 million worth of caviar and sturgeon meat during the last Iranian year of 1399 (March 21, 2020-2021).
“Out of a total of about 12 tons of caviar produced in the country last year, 4.5 tons of caviar valued at more than $6 million were exported to other countries,” Golshahi said.
“In fact, statistics show that approximately 45% of the caviar produced is for export purposes and 55% for domestic uses, part of which was used as food and second and third-grade caviar was consumed for health and cosmetic purposes,” the official said.
On the destinations for Iran caviar exports, Golshahi said “Statistics show that between 60 and 65% of Iranian caviar was exported to EU markets.”
He stated that Russia is one of the major destinations for Iranian sturgeon meat exports, the Iranian official said, adding that currently Iranian sturgeon products are exported to Persian Gulf countries such as the UAE, Qatar, Oman and Kuwait, Russia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, the Far East, namely to Malaysia, China and Japan.”
Golshahi said about the ban on commercial sturgeon fishing by the Caspian littoral states in 2021 to protect the species, “At the last meeting of the Caspian littoral states, the ban on commercial sturgeon fishing was extended for 2021, which we hope will continue in the next meeting in the coming years.”