Iran sells caviar to 38 countries: IFO official
According to official statistics, Iran exported 4.784 tons of caviar to 38 countries during the Iranian year to March 19, which indicated a 37% rise compared to the previous year that stood at 3.5 tons.
Talking to Iran Daily, Nasser Karami-Rad, the director general of stock enhancement and conservation of aquatic genetic resources of the Iran Fisheries Organization (IFO) added that the country produced 4,760 tons of sturgeon meat as well as 21.612 tons of caviar during past Iranian year.
A sum of 4,650 tons of sturgeon meat and 18.46 tons of caviar were produced in Iran during the year to March 20, 2024, according to the official.
The trade of sturgeon in the world is carried out under the supervision of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), Karami-Rad said stating that the permitted caviar export for Iran during the last Iranian year was put at 7.8-8 tons by the multilateral global agreement.
“In addition, due to the restrictions that exporters are facing regarding the obligation to return foreign currency to the country, as well as other issues, every year some caviar is exported from the country through unofficial corridors,” he explained.
According to official data, the country’s revenues in year 1401 via the export of caviar underwent a 37% increase.
“Sanctions have created problems for exporters, including in the field of monetary and bank transfers, and if these problems are resolved, we will see a significant leap in the export of caviar, as Iranian caviar is globally-known and many buyers are interested in buying from Iran,” Karami-Rad said.
Considering the potential that Iran enjoys in the field of sturgeon breeding and its high profitability, we can earn very good revenues by developing sturgeon breeding, he concluded.