January 14, 2005

 

 

Chile Jan-Nov 2004 Fishmeal Exports Fall 14% On The Year

 

Chile's January-November 2004 fishmeal exports dropped 14.0% on the year to 508,711 metric tons, according to a report issued Thursday by industry group Sonapesca.

 

Chile's fishmeal production is second only to Peru, the world¡¯s largest producer of the feed additive.

 

Fishmeal exports accounted for 57% of all Chilean fishing exports in the first 11 months of the year.

 

In value, fishmeal exports totaled $339 million, down 6.0% from the same period a year earlier. This, however, only represented 31% of all fishing exports in terms of value.

 

"The (fishmeal export) percentages reflect the strong sector change towards exporting products with higher value added," Sonapesca said.

 

Sonapesca also reported that the price of the feed additive rose 9% year-on-year in January-November to an average $667 a ton.

 

In 2003, Chile produced some 667,000 tons of fishmeal, compared with 839,000 tons the previous year.

 

In recent years, growing salmon and trout exports began to overshadow fishmeal - once one of the country's main exports. Chile is now the world's second largest salmon producer, behind Norway.

 

In January-November, salmon and trout exports reached 311,071 metric tons, or $1.3 billion in value terms, according to a report issued recently by the Association of the Salmon Industry, or SalmonChile. The group didn't provide comparative data for the same period in 2003.

 

During the 11-month period, 130,384 tons of salmon and trout exports were sent to Japan, accounting for 42% of exports during the period. At the same time 112,774 tons, or 36%, were sent to the U.S., while 7% went to the European Union, SalmonChile said.

 

In 2003, Chile's salmon and trout exports totaled $1.1 billion, while its fishmeal exports reached $370.5 million.