By Atuna

Ecuador major tuna product marketed in the United States, tuna in pouches, had its imports 30% down in the first quarter of 2009.

From January to April, the U.S. imported 3.345 M/T of the product, while during the same period last year the quantity reached 4.647 M/T.

Imports of tuna in pouches from Ecuador had been stable for the past three years; however, the South American country has been reporting lower exports of all tuna products since the beginning of 2009.

According to Ecuadorian local media, the tuna sector is facing the problem of diminished credit availability, since companies will not continue receiving bank loans as they did in 2008.

In addition, Ecuador negotiations to overcome the trade tariffs over canned tuna entering the U.S. are not progressing. As a consequence, the country has substantially increased its share of the European canned tuna market in the past two years.