MNA � According to the Minister of Agriculture Mahmoud Hojjati, aquatic exports have increased by 66 percent in the past four months..


Minister of Agriculture Mahmoud Hojjati announced Tuesday that a 1.5 billion dollar budget has been dedicated to boost employment in rural areas and in this regard pointed to the fact that aquatic exports have seen between 65 to 66 percent growth in the past four months.

During the 5th National Fall Cultivation Assembly, Mahmoud Hojjati stated that between 25,000 and 27,000 tons of shrimp have been cultivated this year, while the production of cultivated shrimp in 2012 was amounted to 10,000 tons only. �Moreover, the export of aquatic animals has increased by 66 percent in the past four months� he added.

Talking about the country's dairy exports, Hojjati said �within the past four months, dairy exports have seen about 27 to 28 percent growth and the necessary measures have been taken to further improve this line of business.�