During 2011, Germany’s canned tuna market expanded, and the growth was mainly driven by Ecuador’s exceptional performance during that year. Ecuador doubled its canned tuna volumes to Germany in 2011 to claim the top position as dominant exporter from the Philippines, which has been losing ground in the market since 2009. But will 2012 data show us that this trend has been continuing? So far no trade data on 2012 has become available yet.
In 2011, Ecuador shipped 1,717,489 cartons to Germany compared to 2010’s volume of 833,364 cartons. The South American country has a special agreement with the EU in that all its tuna products are allowed to enter at 0% duty, though it’s set to expire at the end of this year.
The Philippines, which had been the market leader since 2009 – exporting about 2.2 million cartons – fell to second after shipping 1,712,932 cartons in 2011. It currently does not receive preferential treatment from the EU, but it’s working to achieve a trade deal.
Papua New Guinea was only exporting about 940,000 cartons in 2011 – down 22% from 2010, despite its duty free access and its advance of global sourcing. Indonesia followed close behind in fourth, delivering about 910,000 cartons.
Overall, Germany imported about 6.8 million cartons of canned tuna in 2011, compared to 5.9 million in 2010 and 6.5 million in 2009.
It will be interesting to see what the 2012 data shows, when it becomes available, and if Ecuador will continue to improve its presence in the German market in 2013. According to Ecuador’s fisheries and aquaculture ministry, the country’s exports in the fishery sector was expected to reach USD 2.5 billion by the end of 2012, up 14% from 2011’s turnover.
