Iran’s annual caviar output to reach 100 tons by Mar. 2025

The annual production of caviar in the country is
anticipated to reach 100 tons by the Iranian calendar year 1404 (begins on
March 21, 2025), according to Iran's International Sturgeon Research Institute
Director Mahmoud Bahmani.

Iran has targeted to produce 10,000 tons of sturgeon meat
and 100 tons of caviar by March 2025, Bahmani said last week.

There are currently 195 active sturgeon farms in 20
provinces across the country, he said, adding that the provinces of Mazandaran,
Gilan and Fars respectively rank first to third in terms of sturgeon
production.

Recently, the head of Iran Fisheries Organization (IFO) said
that based on the agricultural development programs set in the country’s
seventh National Development Plan (2022-2026) the organization has targeted 200
tons per year of caviar production by the end of the program.

Hossein Hosseini put the value of the country’s fishery
production in the previous Iranian calendar year 1401 (ended on March 20) at
1.19 quadrillion rials (about $2.4 billion), noting that the trade balance of
the sector was $565 million positive.

According to the official, the country exported 605,000 tons
of fishery products in the previous Iranian year which was a new record high.
Caviar accounted for 2.2 percent of the total exports in terms of value.

Referring to the statistics of sturgeon production in fish
farms, Hosseini said: “Sturgeon meat production increased from 363 tons to
4,626 tons, and caviar production also increased from 11 tons in 1400 to 18
tons in 1401.”

He noted that there are currently 196 sturgeon breeding
farms in the country, adding that these farms have the capacity to produce
8,000 tons of sturgeon meat and 80 tons of caviar.