Iran’s fishery products are slowly making their way into the Russian market, blazing a trail for other agricultural products such as milk, dairy, meat and poultry. 

Iran has appeared on Russia’s radar since Moscow’s ban on food imports from the EU, the US, Canada, Australia and Norway in response to Western sanctions.

According to an official at the Iranian Fisheries Organization Isa Golshahi, about 22,000 metric tons of shrimp and fish, worth $70 million, were exported from Iran to Russia in the five months since March.

Under an agreement between the two countries, Iran is about to ship 25,000 metric tons of seafood, including 20,000 tons of fish and 5,000 tons of shrimp, from its northern coasts to Russia across the Caspian Sea this year.

Golshahi said the Russians are demanding larger volumes, “but we have to make steady planning for their production and supply”.

Meanwhile, the process of establishing new economic ties is proving harder than expected and proceeding slowly.

“The first reason for this is that the Russians have no knowledge about the Iranian products and know nothing about their quality. Moreover, they don’t know whether Iran is capable of providing supplies to their extended demands,” Golshahi said.

While fishery exports are making their presence felt in the Russian market, Iran’s shipments of milk, dairy, meat and poultry have yet to begin.

According to secretary of the Iranian Exporters of Aquatics Association Ali Akbar Khoda’ee, major shipments might be a long time off.

“Trade with the Russians is a very difficult task and one must not expect any transaction which has not existed for years would happen in a short period of time,” he said last month.

Moreover, significant exports would “happen only when the Russian customers know Iranian products better; but this is a long-term process and needs some grounds to be paved”.

By Press TV