1.
TITLE: COSTA RICA: AQUACHILE ACQUISITION BOOSTS TILAPIA OUTPUT
ACCESSION NUMBER: 076567
SECTION: Company Profiles (29), Aquaculture (15), Effect on Future Commodity
Supply (3), Exports (11), Domestic Trade (24).
COMMODITY: FRESHWATER.
SPECIES: TILAPIA.
PRODUCTS: FRESH.
COUNTRY: COSTA RICA, CENTRAL AMERICA, CHILE, SOUTH AMERICA.
SOURCE: WORLDFISH REPORT - 2008-03-13
The Chilean salmon leader, AquaChile, has acquired a tilapia-producing
company in Costa Rica, raising its tilapia output by 3 000 tonnes a year. The Chilean
company says that tilapia now accounts for 10% of its sales. No financial details
were given, but AquaChile revealed that, through its acquisition of El Pelon de
la Baruja, its total production will rise by 3 000 tonnes a year from 19 000 to
22 000 - a 15% increase. This association strengthens the position of Grupo ACI
in Costa Rica, as well as in the market of tilapia, reports the US web-based
publication Seafood.com. AquaChile's general manager, Alfonso Marques de la Plata,
said the acquisition also demonstrated the ability of the company to establish
alliances with important local producers; thus, supporting its leadership in the
aquaculture sector. The acquired company, El Pelon de la Baruja, has more than
four years experience in the production of tilapia. Annual sales amount for
approximately USD 4.5 million. The company has been a supplier of Grupo ACI since
2005. Now, with this alliance, El Pelon de Baruja will focus solely on the
production of tilapia exclusively through Grupo ACI. The new partner of AquaChile
is the Gonzalez family, which has control of the group named El Pelon and has an
important presence in the agricultural sector; this group is one of the largest
producers of cantaloupe in the world, in addition to pineapple and rice. Tilapia
business represents a 10% of the total revenue of AquaChile, which is already the
largest salmon producer in Chile and third in the world. AquaChile's total revenue
in 2007 was USD 483 million and net profit USD 15 million. AquaChile's subsidiary,
Grupo ACI, is one of the main marketers of fresh tilapia in the USA, with a total
market share of 25%. The company exports 90% of its production to the US; the
remaining 10% going into the domestic Costa Rican market.
2.
TITLE: WORLD: FAO WARNS OVER POSSIBLE SHARK EXTINCTION IN CENTRAL AMERICAN
WATERS
ACCESSION NUMBER: 076170
SECTION: Bio Resources (20), Protected Species (25), Landings (9), Price
Information (2).
COMMODITY: OTHERS.
SPECIES: SHARK.
PRODUCTS: FIN.
COUNTRY: NICARAGUA, CENTRAL AMERICA, COSTA RICA, SPAIN, EUROPE.
SOURCE: PRENSA LATINA - 2008-01-28
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (UN-FAO)
announced that the ongoing exploitation of shark by-catch in Central American
waters is decimating the species. The international entity described the practice
as one where only shark fins are targetted and cut while the rest of the live animal
is tossed back into the sea. The fins are known to fetch high prices on Asian
markets. The slump in the lobster and shrimp harvest in the last year further
exacerbated the situation as fishers increasingly turned to shark finning, FAO
officials state. “According to the experts, some species have already disappeared
and others are on the border of extinction. We have not even been able to study
these species in our waters, as other more commercially popular species outranked
them in terms of research priorities,” explained Luis Enrique Velasquez from the
Research Centre for Fisheries and Aquaculture (CIPA), a branch of the Nicaraguan
Institute for Fisheries and Aquaculture (INPESCA). The researcher believes the
decline in other popular fisheries stocks incited the major fishing companies to
demand shark fins for export. These are typically used to prepare soup in Asia.
Moreover, neighbouring countries Guatemala, El Salvador and Costa Rica each
possess an official shark finning industry, as opposed to Nicaragua where no such
authorisation exists. Velasquez particularly advised against further exploitation
of the endangered bull shark, a fresh water species that inhabits the waters of
Lake Nicaragua o Cocibolca. International experts describe the status of the
resource as being “extremely delicate, with some species already endangered,”
including the bull, the lemon and hammerhead, Prensa Latina reports. A kilogramme
of shark fins in Costa Rica can exact a price of up to US$ 50 - its body meat is
only worth US$ 2 per kilogramme. In Asian countries, the commercial value of shark
fin per kilogramme can run as high as US$ 700. Environmentalists are especially
concerned about Ecuadorian stocks; they insist the impact of shark fin harvesting
for trade and export is irreparable, considering the lack of an adequate resource
management control system. Oceana, the international organisation dedicated to
the conservation and protection of the world’s oceans, last year pointed to Spain
as the European country that most heavily impacted the world’s shark population
in being behind the kills of more than 350 000 sharks per year. According to FAO
data analysed by Oceana, Spain harvested nearly 30 000 tonnes of shark in 2005
and ranked fifth as globe's biggest shark fin producer, first in the EU.
3.
TITLE: COSTA RICA: REOPENING OF EU FARMED SHRIMP MARKET ANTICIPATED
ACCESSION NUMBER: 075890
SECTION: Aquaculture (15), Trade Regulations (7), Quality Control (22), Exports
(11), Imports (12).
COMMODITY: SHRIMP.
COUNTRY: COSTA RICA, CENTRAL AMERICA, EU, EUROPE.
SOURCE: LA NACION - 2007-12-21
Costa Rica’s government is anxiously anticipating a January 2008 visit to
be paid by an EU mission of technical inspectors so that it may prove that national
waste and lab controls have improved enough to restart shrimp exports to the
European body. These had been banned by the EU in early 2007 due to food safety
concerns. The Central American nation hopes to resume exports of farmed shrimp
to the EU, as 75% of its exports had catered to the European market before the
ban, La Nacion reports. Last March, EU authorities blocked the entry of Costa Rican
farmed shrimp due to problems traced to defective packing at plants and fish farms
there. An inspection carried out by European technicians in 2007 reported faulty
waste systems and controls regarding chemical residues used to foment animal
health. A lack of laboratories specialised in waste control analysis and final
product analysis guaranteeing a safe seafood product were also lacking, the report
stated. As a result of the deficiencies detected, the Costa Rican embassy in
Brussels, EU headquarters, was notified on 23 March of the EU´s decision to close
its market to Costa Rican seafood exports. According to data supplied by the Foreign
Commerce Promotions (PROCOMER), Costa Rica exported 2 000 tonnes of shrimp in 2005.
Last year, export volumes fell to 1 166 tonnes with this year’s volume expected
to match that of 2006. Entrepreneurs managed to sell 1 000 tonnes of shrimp to
the USA and Mexico in 2007. Producers emphasise that they have lost nearly US$
2 million as a result of the EU ban -- a kilo of shrimp costs nearly US$ 2 less
in these markets as opposed to what it would cost in the EU. The Costa Rican shrimp
industry has responded to the situation by demanding that the National Service
for Animal Health (SENASA) implement measures that would standardise the industry
to EU requirements. The head of Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), Javier
Flores, confirmed that after much effort, the EU inspection visit will take place
in early 2008. It is expected that all requirements will be fulfilled enough to
have the EU reopen its market to Costa Rican farmed shrimp exports soon after the
visit.
4.
TITLE: COSTA RICA: SHRIMP EXPORTS TO EU MAY BE RESUMED IN 2008
ACCESSION NUMBER: 075842
SECTION: Exports (11), Imports (12), Trade Regulations (7), Quality Control (22),
Aquaculture (15), Production (10).
COMMODITY: SHRIMP.
COUNTRY: COSTA RICA, CENTRAL AMERICA, EU, EUROPE.
SOURCE: LA NACION (COSTA RICA)/ESMERK - 2007-12-20
After these exports were suspended in March 2007, Costa Rica expects to
resume exports of farmed shrimp to the EU from the first months of 2008. These
hopes are based on the fact that a mission of inspectors from the EU are expected
to arrive in the country in January 2008. As such, the country aims to prove that
it has improved the management of waste and residues in shrimp farms and shrimp
packaging plants. Total exports of farmed shrimp reached 1 166 tonnes in 2006.
Usually, some 75% of local farmed shrimp is exported to the EU. However, due to
the EU suspension, local shrimp farmers have managed to export around 1 000 tonnes
so far in 2007, mostly to the Mexican and USA markets.
5.
TITLE: COSTA RICA: SHRIMP EXPORTS TO EU REMAIN UNCERTAIN
ACCESSION NUMBER: 075124
SECTION: Trade Regulations (7), Exports (11), Imports (12), Quality Control (22).
COMMODITY: FRESHWATER, SHRIMP.
SPECIES: TILAPIA.
COUNTRY: COSTA RICA, CENTRAL AMERICA, EU, EUROPE.
SOURCE: LA NACION (COSTA RICA)/ESMERK - 2007-10-06
Uncertainty continues to surround exports of farmed shrimp from Costa Rica,
as there is no indication that the EU will reopen its borders to this species in
the short term. The EU prohibited imports of local farmed shrimp and tilapia fish
skin from the Central American country on 23 March 2007, due to alleged problems
in the management of waste and residues in shrimp farms and packaging facilities.
6.
TITLE: COSTA RICA: PROJECT STOPPED DUE TO ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ACCESSION NUMBER: 074948
SECTION: Aquaculture (15), Environment (21), Company Profiles (29), Bio Resources
(20), Innovations (26).
COMMODITY: TUNA.
COUNTRY: COSTA RICA, CENTRAL AMERICA.
SOURCE: INFOFISH - 2007-09-03
An official source informed that the Constitutional Court of Costa Rica
ordered the construction work on a project on tuna farms in the Pacific Ocean to
halt because they had doubts of the real environmental impact of the project. The
Court ordered the Environmental Technical Secretary (SETENA) from the Environment
Ministry to clarify what would be the real environmental impact of the project
by the company Granjas Atuneras del Golfito SA. Studies to know where the metabolic
waste of the farms would go must be performed. On one side, the company assured
under sworn statement that the zone has “dispersing” characteristics; the tuna
waste would go out of the Dulce Gulf, a place with high natural richness nearby
the farm. However, an environmental impact study done by the same company and backed
by SETENA showed that currents are slow, and the waste would remain inside the
Gulf. Environmental organizations and neighbours of the area filed an appeal some
time ago. After the recent court decision they showed their satisfaction and
repeated their concern that the waste from the farms will remain inside the Gulf
and affect marine species such as turtles, sharks and dolphins. Environmentalists
showed another concern, that in the Southern Pacific region of the country there
is over-exploitation of yellowfin tuna, and in their opinion the farm would worsen
this problem.
7.
TITLE: CENTRAL AMERICA: CALVO AIMS FOR EXPANSION
ACCESSION NUMBER: 074949
SECTION: Company Profiles (29), Production (10), Effect on Future Commodity Supply
(3).
COMMODITY: GENERAL, TUNA.
PRODUCTS: CANNED, FRESH.
COUNTRY: EL SALVADOR, CENTRAL AMERICA, COSTA RICA, GUATEMALA.
SOURCE: INFOFISH - 2007-09-03
The Spanish company Grupo Calvo is aiming to expand its businesses in Central
America and the USA. It actually directs 90% of the production done in El Salvador
to the European market, mainly Spain. Grupo Calvo expects to reach a record level
of sales of US$ 80 million. According to the firm Sardimar, the expansion of the
company in Central America could be slow because the market in those countries
is highly concentrated, with few labels leading in the markets. As part of the
strategy, Grupo Calvo is studying the possibility of moving its factories to other
countries. In Central America, the main exporters of tuna, both canned and fresh,
are Costa Rica, El Salvador and Guatemala exporting over US$ 91 million in 2006.
8.
TITLE: EU: FOOD AND VETERINARY OFICE REPORTS ON INSPECTION MISSION TO COSTA
RICA
ACCESSION NUMBER: 074880
SECTION: Trade Regulations (7), Quality Control (22), Imports (12), Health Aspects
(32).
COMMODITY: GENERAL.
COUNTRY: COSTA RICA, CENTRAL AMERICA, EU, EUROPE.
SOURCE: FISHFILESLITE - 2007-08-01
The Food and Veterinary office of DG SANCO published a report on a mission
to Costa Rica regarding the health conditions for the export of fishery products
to the EU, which took place in January 2007. The mission found discrepancies in
the lists of approved establishments, and lack of consistencies in the legislative
requirements when compared to EC regulations. Inspectors had limited technical
knowledge, and follow up and application of sanctions for non-compliance was weak.
Despite the provision of guarantees following an earlier mission, a residue
monitoring programme for aquaculture products had not been implemented. There were
non-conformities found in labeling and certification and there was a lack of
official control in relation to heavy metals. Overall the mission concluded that
the conditions could not be regarded as equivalent, and DG SANCO was recommended
to demand an action plan of corrective actions.
9.
TITLE: COSTA RICA: SHRIMP EXPORTERS PROFITS FALL AS EUROPEAN MARKET CLOSES
ITS DOORS
ACCESSION NUMBER: 074581
SECTION: Exports (11), Trade Regulations (7), Quality Control (22).
COMMODITY: SHRIMP.
COUNTRY: COSTA RICA, CENTRAL AMERICA, EU, EUROPE, USA.
SOURCE: LA NACION - 2007-07-25
Costa Rican shrimp entrepreneurs deem nearly US$ 2 million will be lost due
to reduced prices of nearly one thousand tonnes of products that will not be able
to be sold in the EU markets and must therefore be sold in the USA. Since last
March, EU authorities prevented farmed shrimp and tilapia skins originating from
Costa Rica to enter the community because of problems detected in waste management
of some of the products used in packing plants and in at some Costa Rican fishfarming
tanks. Specifically, the European inspectors discovered metallic residue in
inspected products, implying that the aquaculture products no longer comply with
EU market requirements. Alexander Chan, representative of the products said that
nearly one thousand tonnes of shrimp have entered the US market which was originally
destined for the EU. The huge inconvenience which they face is that the US market
pays US$ 2 less per kilogramme of shrimp than Europe. According to data supplied
by the Foreign Trade Promotion (PROCOMER), in 2005, Costa Rica exported 2 000 tonnes
of shrimp and last year that volume decreased to 1 166 tonnes. Approximately 1
200 directly related jobs in economically depressed areas, such as in the
neighbouring regions of the Gulf of Nicoya, and in Parrita and Quepos, depend on
the shrimp industry, which supplies nearly 7 000 indirect jobs, according to a
report published by the Nacion. The Director of the National Service for Animal
Health, Gerardo Vicente, assured they were working diligently towards a quick
recovery of the European market opening their doors to Costa Rican products.
10.
TITLE: COSTA RICA: NEW DE LA VILLA TUNA PRODUCTS LAUNCHED
ACCESSION NUMBER: 074358
SECTION: Company Profiles (29), Product Development (5), Price Information (2).
COMMODITY: TUNA.
PRODUCTS: CANNED, LOIN.
COUNTRY: COSTA RICA, CENTRAL AMERICA.
SOURCE: LA NACION (COSTA RICA)/ESMERK - 2007-07-02
Costa Rican company Distribuidora Villa Quesada has introduced new products
as part of its De La Villa canned tuna range into the local market. The new products
include tuna loins, tuna loins in pieces, tuna in pieces and tuna in water. They
are available at supermarkets and convenience stores nationwide at prices ranging
between C 707 (US$ 1.36/EUR 1.06) and C 914.