Peruvian seafood exports value surge

Peruvian seafood exports generated US$194.6 million in revenue in January, 20.9% more than in the same month of 2009, when their value was of US$160.9 million, revealed the Ministry of Production (Produce).

Better product prices compensated for a reduced export volume, which fell 11.2%, to 143,600 tonnes, against the 161,700 tonnes dispatched a year before. This loss was mainly due to fewer sales for direct and indirect human consumption, which declined 38.7% and 8.7%, respectively.

According to the latest data, 105,300 tonnes of fishmeal were exported in January 2010. Of the exported volume, 33.9% were of traditional fishmeal, 55.2% of prime fishmeal and 10.9% of super prime fishmeal.

The main markets for Peruvian fishmeal were China, Japan, Turkey, Germany, Vietnam, Chile, the United Kingdom, Taiwan, Australia and France, which represented 94.9% of the commercialised total.

Meanwhile, 10,600 tonnes of frozen seafood products were exported in January, while 17,700 tonnes had been sold overseas in the same month a year before. The majority of products were elaborated with giant squid, mahi mahi, shrimp, scallops, hake, anchovy and squid, which altogether constituted 85.9% of the shipments.

The US, Japan, Spain, France, Korea, Germany, Venezuela, Italy, China, Thailand, Ecuador made up 88.9% of the frozen-product-exports market.

In the first month of 2010, 1,400 tonnes of canned products were sold overseas, 26.3% below the 1,900 tonnes exported in the same month of 2009. Some 89.5% of these shipments corresponded to canned products of anchovy, tuna, abalone and mackerel.

Colombia, Dominican Republic, Panama, Spain, the UK and Chile, to which 63.6% of the exported total was shipped, were the main market destinations of these products.