Iran may soon increase fish exports to Russia fivefold to 100,000 tonnes - expert

ST. PETERSBURG. Sept 16 (Interfax) - Iran and Russia have great potential for cooperation in the fishing sector, including in the trade of fish and seafood; Iran's fish exports to Russia may grow fivefold in the coming years, and the number of Iranian suppliers of this product may increase by 10-12 companies, the head of the Iranian Union of Seafood Producers and Exporters Ali Akbar Khodai said.

"We have very significant potential for cooperation with Russia; and we can raise exports from almost 20,000 tonnes to 100,000 tonnes in a very short time. Russia is one of the major importers, and we see a lot of advantages for direct cooperation," Khodai said at the Global Fishery Forum in St. Petersburg on Wednesday.

Iran exported around 19,000 tonnes of fish and seafood to Russia in 2024 out of total exports of 208,000 tonnes, he said. More recent data was not provided.

However, he noted that there are barriers in mutual trade - in particular, regulatory restrictions are an obstacle to developing trade in aquaculture feed. But these issues are being resolved. "Yesterday we held a meeting with Rosselkhoznadzor [the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance] and reached an understanding. On October 5, I hope, we will meet again in Iran; a delegation from Rosselkhoznadzor will visit our country and we will be able to register 10-12 companies [for the right to export to Russia]," Khodai said.

Ibrahim Mello, an expert on Iran and the Middle East, said at the forum that more than 20 Iranian companies are currently registered for supplies to Russia. The country purchases mainly shrimp and trout from Iran.

Overall, Iran exports fish and seafood to 67 countries around the world despite sanctions, Khodai said. Russia is among the top three buyers after Iraq and China. The fish catch in Iran exceeds 800,000 tonnes per year, and aquaculture production stands at over 700,000 tonnes.