Canned tuna factory. (Photo: ANFACO)

Exports of canned seafood reach record in the first quarter

SPAIN
Friday, May 24, 2019, 21:50 (GMT + 9)

During the first three months of 2019, Spanish exports of canned, semi-preserved and prepared fish and shellfish experienced a year-on-year increase of 6 percent in volume and 6.31 percent in value. Spanish companies sold 50,450 tons worldwide, valued at more than EUR 239 million, according to the latest customs data collected by ANFACO.

The Spanish sector of preserves and preparations of fish and shellfish registered in this period a record in its exports, both in volume and value, with respect to the same period of the last ten years, also showing a positive path of constant growth during the last five years.

Canned tuna continues to be the main product marketed worldwide by this sector, with a total volume exported from January to March 2019 of 29,880 tons, worth more than EUR 153 million, up 6 percent in both volume and value compared to the first three months of 2018. Next, by volume importance, are the preserves and preparations of cuttlefish and squid (5,871 tonnes) and other shellfish groups (4,368 tonnes) and other fish (2,928 tons).

Regarding the destination of these exports, the data reveal that the EU countries continue to be the first buyers of these products (89 percent), with exports to this market increasing by 6.51 percent in volume and by 5.07 percent in value with respect to the same period of the previous year.

However, ANFACO stresses that Spanish canned and prepared fish and shellfish products are present in all continents, a fact that confirms the importance of internationalization in this sector. After the EU, America is the continent in which, during the first three months of 2019, exports of canned, semi-preserved and prepared Spanish fish and shellfish have grown more, with an increase of more than 9.06 percent in volume and 30.16 percent in value.

The main countries that buy canned, semi-preserved and prepared seafood are EU countries: Italy, France, Portugal and the Netherlands, followed by Germany and the United Kingdom. Outside the EU, the United States stands out as the main buyer of this type of product, with exports to this market increasing by 47.50 percent in volume and 61.44 percent in value with respect to the same period in 2018.

editorial@seafood.media
www.seafood.media

 ANFACO-CECOPESCA - Asociacion Nacional de Fabricantes de Conservas de Pescados y Mariscos-

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