Uzbekistan has agreed to issue special registration for Iranian caviar and aquaculture companies from Mazandaran province at reduced costs, IRNA reported on December 20.

Ahead of the Iranian deal, Uzbekistan is itself developing sturgeon aquaculture projects aimed at producing black caviar domestically, including farms such as Golden Fish Group, in a growing challenge to traditional producers of Russia, Kazakhstan and Iran. 

Hamza Aghapour Kazemi, director general of Mazandaran Veterinary Organisation, stated that Uzbek veterinary authorities agreed to issue registration for Mazandaran companies at lower costs during meetings held as part of an economic delegation visit led by the provincial governor.

After completing application forms and providing production process documentation from Iranian companies, the final registration and licensing process will be conducted. All export products will be supervised by technical managers with periodic sampling for drug residues and microbial contamination, with health certificates issued by the veterinary organisation, according to Aghapour Kazemi.

Abdul Rasoul Boltayev, head of Uzbekistan's veterinary supervision authority, welcomed the expansion of cooperation, noting that Iran's capability to generate knowledge and apply it to livestock and agricultural production guarantees product quality.

"We are ready to develop cooperation in importing aquatic products and caviar from Iran," Boltayev stated.

Mazandaran province produces more than half of Iran's caviar following successive investments and support for the private sector in sturgeon farming. Caviar from Babolsar is currently exported to 32 countries, including Poland, Canada and Romania.

According to the latest statistics on caviar production in Iran, Mazandaran province leads in black pearl production by a significant margin, with these figures rising due to ongoing investments.

Caspian Sea sturgeon are anadromous fish, meaning they spawn by temporarily migrating to the mouths of rivers flowing into the Caspian Sea.

Trade statistics show Uzbekistan importing caviar and caviar substitutes worth about $1.9mn (just over 100 tonnes) in recent data, indicating that the country remains a net buyer from abroad, the World Bank previously projected.