Tuna sector continues to grow despite the pandemic

The first two months of 2022 there was a 6 % increase in the volume of exports with respect to the same period of 2021.

During 2020, the strongest year in the pandemic, Ecuador managed to sustain its tuna exports, in which the decrease in shipments abroad was only 2 %; While in 2021 the year -on -year increase was almost 9 %, reaching $ 1,177 million, a figure higher than that of 2019 and 2018, according to Rafael Trujillo Bejarano, executive director of the National Fishing Chamber (CNP). In addition, it emphasizes that the first two months of 2022 there was a 6 % increase in the volume of exports with respect to the same period of 2021.

Trujillo says that the effects of pandemic were felt in the sector, but companies had resilience to cope and adjust operations."All companies produced their biosafety protocols, identifying vulnerable groups that had to be relocated or assigned to Teleworking. Production shifts had to reschedule to reduce the presence of personnel in plants."

The Executive expresses that the greatest effects have come on the side of transport costs for foreign trade and supplies, some of which rose in more than 20 %, 50 %and up to 70 %, such as cardboard, oil, metal containers, among others. "All this added to delays in the reception of inputs and materials or offices resulting from the maritime transport crisis. This situation affects product competitiveness and is subject to a complex external dynamic with a growing inflation and an uncertain horizon of the term."

Despite the crisis, Ecuador is recognized in the world for being an outstanding provider of loins and tuna canned. Trujillo says that"For years they have remained in second place in terms of volume of exports to the world, surpassed only by Thailand."

Similarly, the stunning fleet of Ecuador is the most important in the Eastern Pacific and Manta is recognized worldwide as an outstanding landing port of Atunes. Ecuador is the main supplier of cantera of the European Union, a market recognized by the high standards required in terms of quality, safety and traceability demanded, and the production of Ecuador works permanently in the continuous improvement of these standards.

In the international market, what is most exported is canned tuna.Nirsa is the leader of this item in Ecuador, occupying the first place in the export of canned tuna of the year 2021, with 37,545 gross exported tons, which reach $ 154′207.611 total annual; whileIn the first quarter of 2022 they exported $ 30′429,761.

Melissa Aguirre, NIRSA Corporate Affairs Manager, mentions that the company has established itself in North America, Central America, South America, the European Union, Asia, among others, thus positioning its leadership in more than 35 countries as a reference in good fishing practices. "It should be noted that we are the leading export company in relation to the number of tons of tuna. The main countries to which we export tuna are Germany, the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Peru and Argentina."

Projects

The Atunera fleet associated with the CNP has been the manager in Ecuador to work in a fishing improvement project so that the fishery of Atunes with fence networks reaches the MSC certification (Marine Administration Board, for its acronym in English), the most prestigious in the international market. Trujillo says that this initiative resulted in the creation of the projectTunacons, currently turned into a foundation that seeks to work to maintain the sustainability of Atunes fishing in Ecuador and the region.

Tunacons

This organization was born in 2015 under the initiative of Nirsa, and then the Eurofish and Jadran companies are joined in the first instance to promote the preparation of a fishery improvement project (FIP), and their action plan began to be implemented since 2017, in that same year they also joined Servigrup and Trimarine.

Guillermo Morán Velásquez, director of Tunacons, says that the initiative has sought to prepare to achieve the most recognized fishing sustainability certification in the market, which is the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC), which will help strengthen competitiveness in international markets with the highest emphasis on the countries of the European Union.

Tunacons key works next to the national fishing authority to achieve sustainable fishing:

- Cooperation with the Inter -American Tropical Tuna Commission (CIAT) for impulse to new regional conservation measures.

- Actions that strengthen the control and monitoring of the fleet.

- The new aquaculture and fishing law and its respective regulation.

- Integration to the agreement of governing measures of the port to combat illegal fishing.

- Promote the National Plan for Industrial Tuna Fishing.