In the first two months of 2013, fishery and aquaculture product exports in Chile reached a value of USD 844 million.
This figure represents a decrease of 4.9 per cent over the same period of 2012, when USD 887 million were obtained.
Meanwhile, the export volume during the first two months of 2013 experienced an increase of 17.8 per cent, changing from 207,600 tonnes in January and February 2012 to 244,500 tonnes this year, the Undersecretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture(Subpesca) reported.
In terms of volume, the line of frozen products was the one that had more involvement in foreign shipments: up to February it represented 55.5 per cent of the total, according to the latest Sector Report of Fisheries and Aquaculture issued by Subpesca. It was followed by fishmeal and chilled fresh fish, with 31.2 per cent of the total.
According to statistics from Subpesca, the main exported product was the Atlantic salmon, which constituted 32.1 per cent of the total sales abroad. Further back were the Pacific salmon, rainbow trout and pelagic fish s/e.
The Chilean products were shipped to 79 countries, of which the 9 major ones accounted for 78.3 per cent of the value of total exports, among them are Japan, US, China, Brazil and Russia.
Aquaculture sector exports accounted for 73 per cent of the value and 60.1 per cent of the total exported value up to February 2013, with USD 616.4 million and 147,000 tonnes.
As to the catching sector, the accumulated value of fish exports (97,600 tonnes) reached USD 227.5 million in the first two months, indicating a positive variation of 35.9 per cent compared to the same period last year.
In the first two months 49,640 tonnes of fishmeal were sold abroad for USD 92.2 million while a year earlier 43,750 tonnes worth USD 53.4 million had been exported. The most important destinations of fishmeal were China, Japan and Italy.
Out of the exported fishmeal, 61.8 per cent (USD 48.5 million) had prime quality, 24.8 per cent (USD 19.4 million) had super prime quality and 15.2 per cent (USD 9.5 million) had standard quality.
Sales of frozen seafood products abroad totalled USD 80.5 million, which represented an increase of 26.1 per cent over the same two months of 2012.
These products were mainly directed to Cameroon, the US and Nigeria, with participations in value of 19.9 per cent, 19.6 per cent and 8.2 per cent, respectively.
As to canned products, the sales performed in the first two months of 2013 totalled USD 10 million, representing 17.3 per cent less than a year earlier.
The main markets for canned products were Spain, Belgium and the United States, with participations of 35.3 per cent, 15.2 per cent and 7.4 per cent, respectively.
Subpesca also stated that between January and February 2013 chilled products were exported for USD 149.8 million, a figure that accounts for an increase of 1.32 per cent over the same two months of 2012. United States and Brazil absorbed most of these shipments in the capture sector.