Iran exports over 2,400 tons of tuna fish in 8 months

Iran holds the top spot in tuna fishing in the western
Indian Ocean, according to Abbas Mokhtari, the director general of the
Agriculture Ministry’s Office of Quality Improvement, Processing, and Aquatic
Market Development.

He added that, according to the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Iranian fishermen account for 7% of
global tuna fishing.

Mokhtari said that 200,000 tons of tuna were caught in Iran
in 2023. These were processed into 738 million cans by 136 production units. He
said that the per capita consumption of tuna in Iran is one kilogram.

He further noted that the cost of imported tuna is lower
than that of domestically produced tuna, attributing this to the presence of
middlemen and brokers.

Mokhtari said that the cost of producing one kilogram of
tuna is 89,500 tomans. With a 40% profit margin, the price is set at 115,000 to
125,000 tomans. However, with the presence of middlemen, the price sometimes
reaches 155,000 tomans.

He also mentioned that 2,411 tons of tuna worth $10 million
were exported in the first eight months of 2023. This is a decrease from 2,943
tons worth $8 million in the same period last year. Most of Iran's tuna exports
go to Iraq and Afghanistan.