The Japanese government and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) have signed a funding agreement for a project to promote the sustainable development of the tuna value chain in the southeastern Chabahar region of Iran.
The initiative is to support the ability of local fishermen to access new markets while at the same time reducing the risk of over-fishing in the Gulf of Oman. Although tuna caught in the Chabahar region is of high quality, most of it is canned and sold at low prices. Fishermen are catching tuna using methods and at volumes that, if continued, will likely deplete marine resources in the coastal region, project officials said.
Through a collaborative approach with Iran’s Ministry of Agriculture Jihad, the Iranian Fisheries Organization and local institutions, UNIDO will provide technical assistance to improve the quality management system, encourage the promotion of exports at higher prices, promote sustainable fishing practices and establish a mechanism to monitor and control the stock of yellowfin tuna, UNIDO said.
Micro, small and medium sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the fishery sector in Chabahar will directly benefit from these quality and market-related interventions, particularly from Japanese knowledge sharing and technology transfers, it added.
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