The market share of U.S. exports of seafood to Ukraine in 2012 increased to about 25%. However, the leading supplier of these products in the Ukrainian market fishery remains Norway.
Last year, U.S. fishery products occupied the third position in the volume of imports to Ukraine, after Norway and Iceland. The principal US products were hake, pollock, pink salmon, lobster and sardines.
Experts predict that in 2013 the consumption of fish and seafood will increase in Ukraine and expect that the volume of U.S. products sold will increase as well.
In 2012, the value of US exports was around $80 million, and is expected to increase further in 2013.
The growth of Ukrainian imports of seafood U.S. began between the years 2004-2006, when Ukrainian consumers first became familiar with the cheap salmon that country. Now, this product occupies 20% of all U.S. supplies of fish to the country, reported RIA Fishnews.ru. But the proportion of salmon, of all fish imported from the U.S., could be reduced, as other American products, such as halibut, sardines, crabs and lobsters are imported.
For now, Norway still holds the lead among seafood suppliers to Ukraine, but the involvement of the United States and other countries in the Ukrainian market is growing increasingly. At the same time, experts say, the volume of imports of fishery products from the United States is less, not by a lack of domestic demand, but by problems in the supply of certain types of seafood in this country.