In the first seven months of 2013, fishery and aquaculture product exports in Chile reached a value of USD 3,059 million. This represents an increase of 8.7 per cent over the same period of 2012, when USD 2,813 million was obtained.
The volume of exports between January and July 2013 also rose: it experienced an increase of 6.2 per cent, changing from 771,170 in 2012 to 819,170 tonnes this year, the Undersecretariat of Fisheries and Aquaculture (Subpesca).
This rise was mainly due to higher shipments of frozen products, which accounted for 54.7 per cent of the total, according to the latest Report of Fisheries and Aquaculture issued by Subpesca.
Subpesca’s statistics indicate that the main export was Atlantic salmon, which accounted for 40.1 per cent of total exports. It was followed by the rainbow trout and the Pacific salmon, among others.
Chilean products were destined for 103 countries, of which the nine major ones concentrated 77.1 per cent of total exports. Among them are the United States, Japan, China, Brazil and Russia.
With respect to the capture sector, the accumulated value of fish exports (371,700 tonnes) between January and July of 2013 to USD 819.2 million, reflecting a positive variation of 8.2 per cent compared to the same period the previous year.
In the first seven months, 155,385 tonnes of fishmeal were sold abroad for USD 286.9 million while a year earlier a total of 193,010 tonnes had been exported for USD 251.2 million.
The most important destinations of fishmeal were China, Japan and Spain.
Out of the exported fishmeal, 57.4 per cent had prime quality, 28.3 per cent had super prime quality and 12.6 per cent was standard.
Sales of frozen seafood products abroad totalled USD 346.5 million, an amount that accounts for an increase of 2.5 per cent over the same period of 2012.
These products were mainly directed to Nigeria, the US and Japan, with participations in value of 20.5 per cent, 15 per cent and 11.3 per cent, respectively.
As to canned products, the sales performed in the first seven months of 2013 totalled USD 46.8 million, representing 5.6 per cent more than a year earlier.
The main markets were Venezuela, Spain and the United States, with participations of 28.2 per cent, 19.1 per cent and 5.7 per cent, respectively.
Aquaculture sector exports accounted for 73.2 per cent of total sales abroad and 54.6 per cent of total exports between January and July this year, with USD 2,240 million and about 447,000 tonnes.