MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazil's incipient fish farming industry doubles export revenue in first half 2022

Tilapia frozen fillets increased 544% in price and 571% in volume

Brazil's incipient fish farmed exports in the second half to 2022, doubled in value and increased 14% in volume compared to Jan/July 2021. In effect sales reached US$ 14,3 million, from US$ 7,2 million y-to-y, with volume increasing to 4,931 tons from 4,327 tons.

How come such differences. The reply is higher added value, especially frozen fillets which increased 544% in price and 571% in volume. Among all categories, this product had the highest growth in both indicators.

Considering the first six months of this year, the month of May saw the highest increases in both revenue (with US$ 4 million) and exported tons (1,331). The data is from the 10th edition of the Newsletter on Fish Farming Foreign Trade, a quarterly publication jointly edited by Embrapa Pesca e Aquicultura (Palmas) and the Brazilian Fish Farming Association (PeixeBR).

As anticipated, tilapia remains the main species exported by the Brazilian fish farming industry. This specie accounted for 98% of sales and 99% of volume by Brazil in the first half of 2022. It also had significant increases (133% financially and 32% in quantity) when comparing this year’s first half with 2021.

In terms of export markets, United States remains first accounting for 76% of invoicing and 63% of volume. Canada follows with 8% and 9%, respectively. Financially, US$ 10.9 million to the US and US$ 1.2 million to Canada.

On average, the frozen fillet was the tilapia product that reached the highest sales value in the first half of this year, reaching US$ 5.46 per kg. However, compared to the same period in 2021, there was an average drop of US$ 0.34 per kg.

The newsletter, edited every three months, was launched in early 2020 as a byproduct of BRS Aqua, Embrapa’s principal aquaculture project. The publication is part of the same project’s Center for Intelligence and Market in Aquaculture, CIAqui, and is bases on official data.