Chile’s seafood exports rise in 2011

Chile’s fishery and aquaculture exports rose to $2.64bn during the first seven months of 2011, a 29% rise on the figure for the same period in 2010, according to the latest report from the Subpesca Fisheries and Aquaculture Sector.

The country’s export volumes climbed to 652,500t, a 22.4% rise on volumes during the same period last year.

The rise in volumes was primarily due to increased shipments of frozen products and fishmeal, which accounted for 48.4% and 27.4% of the total, respectively, followed by fresh refrigerated products and dry seaweed.

The average price of fishery products exported between January and July 2011 was $4 per kg, a 23% increase on the figure for the same period in 2010.

The main exported product was rainbow trout, which accounted for 25% of total sales abroad, followed by Atlantic salmon and Pacific salmon.

Chilean fishery and aquaculture products were exported to 102 countries, of which nine countries, including Japan, US, China, Brazil and Spain, accounted for 79.5% of the total exports.