Last year the Spanish canning industry exported 146,098 tonnes of prepared, canned and semi-preserved fish and seafood for a total of EUR 691.9 million, figures that rank Spain as the largest exporter at community level.
Besides, Spain is among the top positions in the world’s exporting countries ranking, according to the National Association of Manufacturers of Canned Fish and Shellfish(Anfaco- Cecopesca).
Canned tuna was the main prepared and canned seafood product shipped overseas in 2013: it accounted for 60 per cent of the volume and 66 per cent of the value.
It was followed by canned squid and cuttlefish (9 per cent in volume and 5 per cent in value); and thirdly by the other group of the other canned and processed fish (6 per cent of the volume and 5 per cent of the value).
Last year Spanish prepared and canned fish and seafood were directed to 120 countries from the five continents, being the EU the largest market with a share of 89 per cent both in volume and in value.
Italy was the main importer with 43,211 tonnes worth EUR 214.4 million; it was followed by France(34,937 tonnes for EUR 152.5 million), Portugal (23,108 tonnes for EUR 99.1 million) and the UK(9,745 tonnes for 56.7 million).
Outside the EU, the markets that acquired higher volumes of products were the United States (2,609 tonnes for EUR 15.6 million), Morocco (1,909 tonnes for EUR 3.2 million), Algeria (1,671 tonnes for EUR 7.3 million), Chile (1,113 tonnes for EUR 4.5 million) and Switzerland (642 tonnes for EUR 6.1 million), among other nations.