May 10, 2012

 

 

Argentina's Undersecretary for Fisheries and Aquaculture of the Nation, Néstor Miguel Bustamante, has travelled to Sao Paulo, Brazil, to promote bilateral trade and the increase of fish exports.

 

This trip takes place in the framework of a trade mission led by the Undersecretary of Domestic Trade, Guillermo Moreno.

 

Bustamante is expected to participate in negotiations with Argentinean entrepreneurs in order to achieve the opening of new markets.

 

Undersecretary of Fisheries will seek progress on two issues currently affecting exports to Brazil.

 

On the one hand, the intention to certify that the Patagonian shrimp (Pleoticus muelleri) is not affected by the white spot virus to unblock the import of this crustacean into Brazil.

 

On the other hand, the insistence on the change in nomenclature of the "Alaska hake" -- Alaska pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) -- a product that unfairly competes with the national hake (Merluccius hubbsi).

 

With respect to shrimp, Bustamante explained that "the Undersecretary of Fisheries and the National Health Service and Food Quality (Senasa) conducted a study on the Patagonian shrimp to determine whether the white spot virus was present or not, which is considered a health obstacle upon imports to Brazil."

 

"This research clearly demonstrated that there is no virus in our resource," he stressed.

 

Given the critical situation in Europe at present, Brazil is presented as an alternative market for Argentina.

 

"It is true that the participation of Brazilian vannamei increases but our prawn has a different quality and we should target another niche market. If we are able to participate with a small share, it is a unique solution to this situation and opens the door to a new market," continued Bustamante.

 

Regarding the "Alaska hake," the undersecretary explained that "in recent years, Argentinean companies exporting hake fillets have seen their profitability fall because substitute products made from other species enter the Brazilian market."

 

Bustamante clarified that the variety known in the international market as Alaska pollock offers "low cost and lower quality."

 

"The use of the name 'Alaska hake' for Alaska pollok is not only inappropriate and unfair as far as competitiveness is concerned but it is also confusing because the North Pacific hake can be caught in the North Pacific," he noted.

 

In 2011, Argentina exported 29,239 tonnes of fish products to Brazil, 26% less than in 2010, when 39,607 tonnes were shipped to the Brazilian market.