Iran Ready to Continue Cooperation with UNIDO

The head of Iran’s Fisheries Organization announced that the country is prepared to deepen its collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to enhance tuna fishing practices and bolster both domestic and export markets for tuna products.

According to a report from the Ministry of Agriculture Jihad, Hamzeh Rostampour, in a meeting with UNIDO’s fisheries representative, expressed gratitude to the Tehran UNIDO office for its persistent and effective efforts. These efforts included organizing a short-term training course for an Iranian delegation in Japan, facilitating visits by Japanese experts to Iran for knowledge exchange, and conducting educational workshops. Rostampour emphasized Iran’s keen interest in continuing its partnership with UNIDO.

As the Deputy Minister of Agriculture Jihad, Rostampour highlighted key priorities, including the adoption of longline tuna fishing methods by fishing vessels and boats, the development of Iran’s tuna value chain through improved quality, the production of diverse products, waste reduction, and the utilization of fishing byproducts. He also stressed the importance of strengthening both domestic and export markets for tuna.

Rostampour urged faster action to bring a Japanese vessel to Iran, addressing any potential obstacles or arranging for a pre-approved Iranian substitute vessel if necessary. “It would be ideal for Japanese experts to be stationed on the vessel to accelerate project implementation,” he noted. He also emphasized the need to install cooling systems at the Konarak fishing dock and on the designated vessel, adding that winches produced by Iranian companies should be purchased by UNIDO and installed on vessels in coordination with provincial fisheries authorities.

He further suggested that providing longline fishing equipment to fishermen would significantly speed up operations. Rostampour also called for upgrades to low-consumption fishing boat engines, proposals to maintain product quality onboard, the use of renewable energy in aquaculture farms, and the development of production projects for coastal villages and rural women’s communities.

Tomoshi Kome, UNIDO’s fisheries director, described the collaboration with Iran’s Fisheries Organization as highly productive, thanks to the effective fisheries working group. He confirmed that two cooling systems had been delivered to Iran’s shipping authority and requested that Iran’s Fisheries Organization draft a letter to extend the contract, to be sent through diplomatic channels.

Kome announced that Japanese experts would arrive in the coming months to install cooling systems and provide training. He expressed optimism about the future, stating, “We anticipate that Iranian tuna products, meeting set standards, will soon enter the Japanese market.”

At the start of the meeting, a report on the longline fishing program conducted between Iran’s Fisheries Organization and UNIDO was presented. Despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and sanctions, the collaboration was described as highly successful and satisfactory.

With these developments, Iran is poised to enhance its tuna industry, elevate its market presence, and strengthen its partnership with UNIDO. - Iran News