Tilapia processing plant. (Photo: Marine Harvest Colombia)

Tilapia exports grow 37.6pct

COLOMBIA
Friday, July 13, 2018, 22:40 (GMT + 9)

Between January and May this year, Colombia exported tilapia for a total value of USD 25.7 million, a figure that represents a year-on-year growth of 37.6 per cent, according to figures from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR).

"In the first five months of this year, sales of Colombian tilapia abroad increased USD 7.1 million, from USD 18.6 million to USD 25.7 million. This impulse, led by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, is thanks to the production increase, the promotion of the product and the opening of markets at an international level," said Minister Juan Guillermo Zuluaga Cardona.

In addition, the head of the agricultural portfolio stressed that this increase in the product trade generates more income and opportunities for 145,000 people working in the aquaculture sector.

The figures indicate that between January and May 2018 tilapia is still not the most important item in sales abroad, however, it has a share in the export basket that is growing. At present, the figure represents 0.8 per cent of a total of USD 3,302.1 million.

It should be noted that during the past year, tilapia exports reached USD 41.7 million, an increase of 7.7 per cent over 2016, when sales abroad generated USD 38.7 million. On the other hand, production in 2017 was 73,641 tonnes, which represented an increase of 10 per cent compared to the 66,946 tonnes registered in 2016.

Statistics from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) show that imports of fresh tilapia fillets from Colombia totalled USD 22.8 million in the first five months of this year, making this country its main supplier.

In the same period of 2016, exports of this product to the US market reached USD 20 million, placing Colombia as the second largest supplier, after Honduras.

In the opinion of FEDEACUA’s executive director Sara Patricia Bonilla, "this achievement was coming" due to the certification processes in good practices that have for several years been driven by the union and that have improved the competitiveness of local producers, reported AgroNegocios.

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