TEHRAN, Jan. 23 (Xinhua) -- Iran exported 95,617 tons of seafood worth 290 million U.S. dollars during the first nine months of the current Iranian calendar year from March 21 to Dec. 21, Eghtesadonline news website reported Wednesday.
The figures registered a 15-percent rise in weight and 9-percent growth in value compared with the corresponding period of last year.
China, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Spain, Italy, France, Belgium, Germany, Lebanon, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Russia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman and Afghanistan were the main importers of Iranian seafood during the period, Isa Golshahi, an official at Iran Fisheries Organization, was quoted as saying.
"Close to 21,227 tons of shrimp were exported worth over 102 million dollars, registering a 39-percent and 42-percent rise in volume and value respectively year-on-year," Golshahi noted.
Golestan Province in the north and Qeshm Island in the south are major shrimp farming hubs of Iran.
"Seafood accounts for only one percent of Iran's agricultural production, but constitutes close to 10 percent of the average value of the country's agricultural exports," Golshahi said.
