|
New market access rules, economic crisis affecting seafood industry
27.04.2010 09:04 "Agro Perspectiva" (Kyiv) —
Used to be, seafood was largely something only folks on the coasts got to enjoy, while fresh fish was for those lucky enough to live near streams or lakes. Nowadays, though, fish is everywhere. And not just Lake Perch or Salmon. Odd, exotic fish from far-away places. Tilapia. Swai. Mahi Mahi. Kingclip.
Fish have gone global. They are, in fact, one of the worlds most hotly traded food commodities: some 37 percent of all fish production 53 million tonnes is traded internationally. Exports of fish in 2008 were valued at a cool $102 billion.
The lions share of fish being traded is imported by developed countries 60% of it, in weight terms, and 80% of it in value terms. Europe, Japan and the United States alone account for 70% of all fish imports, in terms of value. The total value of all fish imports in 2008 was $108 billion.
For the most part, that fish is from the developing world the source of 50 percent of all fish imports by rich nations, in value terms ($43 billion).
This means revenue. Net export earnings for developing countries from fish trade currently run $27 billion a year.
It also means jobs. Some 45 million people are directly employed, either full or part time, in fisheries and aquaculture. An additional 6.5 million are engaged in the sector on an occasional basis. Factoring in jobs in processing mainly female labor marketing and service industries and including the family members of all people employed, an estimated half a billion people rely on fish for some or all of their incomes.
Getting fish to market isnt always easy, however. And according to reports prepared for a meeting this week of FAOs Subcommittee on Fish Trade (April 2629, Buenos Aires), for developing countries, doing so is getting harder.
Also available:
|
| |
|
|