Two 20-hectare shrimp farms have been set up in Gomishan, Golestan province, said the head of the Technical and Development Office of Golestan Fishery Organization.
Ali Nosrati added that the private sector has invested 6 billion rials in the shrimp farms, adding that the projects were implemented to expand shrimp breeding, generate jobs and optimize consumption of water and soil resources.
The official said a project to build an office for Bandar Torkaman Fishery Department, at a cost of $1.9 billion, will go on stream in the near future.
Nosrati noted that the project was launched in the last Iranian year (ended March 20, 2013).
Bandar Torkaman is among the most important aquaculture centers of Iran. Various types of bonefish and shrimps are being bred in the city.
In July, Ali Akbar Khodaei, secretary of the Iranian Shrimp Producers Association, said Iran’s cultured shrimp production is projected to reach 15,000 tons by the end of the current year, most of which will be exported.
He added that over 10,000 tons of cultured shrimps were produced last year, of which 60 percent pertained to exports.
“A large portion of our shrimp production was exported to, Iraq, UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon and Egypt,” he said, noting that European countries such as Spain and Italy as well as southeastern Asian nations were also among target markets.
Referring to obstacles, Khodaei said lack of liquidity and feed is among major problems facing shrimp breeders in the country.
