Source: El Diario
The local tuna industries In Ecuador bet more on the local and South American market, positioning more on their own brand without affecting production volumes, said Juan Carlos Calero, the manager of Conservas Isabel Ecuador in Manta.
According to Central Bank figures from January to May this year, exports of tuna fell by 23 percent from sales made last year in the same period; some USD 38 million less. Ecuador exports about 100 000 tons.
Carlos Velez, owner of the tuna vessel “Romeo†and a supplier to Seafman , says the first half of the year was good for the fishing sector, and so far also the processing industry maintains it position.
Catch
In the first quarter of 2011, Ecuador caught 44,718 tons of tuna, up 12 percent over the same period of 2010.
A ton of tuna, raw - whole round frozen, currently costs about USD 1,600.
Velez said that the decline in exports has accelerated, which has affected plants in Manta and consequently affecst the regional economy.
If there are fewer orders from Europe and the United States, the tuna industries are forced to look for alternatives to avoid a lowering of the production levels.
Lucia Fernandez, owner of several tuna boats, says sales drop is due to the holiday season in Europe, but also because the Asian industries have lower production costs and that takes away the Ecuadorian tuna market.
This Semester
At Conservas Isabel, one of the largest companies in Manta, daily production is now about 160 tons of whole round.
30 percent of that volume goes to Spain, Italy and France. The other 70 percent are destined for Ecuador and other South American markets.
Regarding the second half of the year, said Juan Carlos Calero, Isabel’s manager, during every year it is normal that exports are lower, but it is difficult to predict if 2011 will show the same trend.
In Manta 12 thousand people are directly employed within the tuna industry.