No Increase In Mexican Tuna Exports Expected On Short Termff

Although the European Market is now open to Mexican tuna, exports from Mexico will not take place immediately due to a lack of surplus of Mexican production, as well as the high European Union (EU) import duties implemented on this species.

According to the president of the Chamber of Fishery of Baja California, Mr. Andres Armenta, the sector is very pleased with the recognition of its sustainable fishery and EU’s green light for Mexican tuna; however, its domestic tuna demand is currently very high. Mexico’s tuna consumption is about 150,000 tons per year, an amount that has increased every year since 1991 when it was only 12,000 tons.

Therefore, Mexico will need a surplus of tuna production to export this product, since the supply to the domestic market has a higher priority.

However last year, the Mexican fleet’s catches were insufficient for the tuna production to supply the local demand, and Mexico ended up importing raw material for its tuna industries.

Exports to the EU will be semi-processed products –which are ready for canning- such as frozen precooked and cleaned tuna loins, not whole fresh tuna.

According to Mr. Armenta, it is not yet possible to establish export quantities until the Mexican fleet is adapted to increase its catches and benefit from the quotas assigned by the Inter American Commission for the Tropical Tuna (IACTT), since no additional vessels will be joining this fishery. At the same time it is important to note that even though the European Market is open to Mexican tuna, the EU is still applying a 24% import duty for this commodity.

While Mexico is the sole country associated by a Free Trade Agreement with the EU, it is at the same time the only Latin American tuna producing country that still pays duties and taxes for its tuna imports into Europe.

The reason for this is that the EU exempts the other tuna producing Latin American countries (who are identified as drug producing nations), and therefore tuna production becomes an alternative activity to avoid the cultivation and traffic of drugs. These countries are therefore receiving all the facilities enabling them to export their products to the EU. As Mexico is not included in this agreement, it has repeatedly requested the Mexican industrial and commercial authorities to find a fair and more equal treatment to obtain the same benefits for Mexico.