Brazil has reached an agreement with the Moroccan government that will allow it to export more fisheries products to the North African nation.
Brazil’s Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, and Supply Tereza Cristina said Morocco is now ready to “open its market for the export of Brazilian fish,” according to a press release from the ministry. The move will result in more Brazilian seafood exports to Morocco, Cristina said.
"We have great news in the fisheries sector: Brazil received the news from Morocco about the opening of its market for the export of Brazilian fish,” Cristina said.
The opening up of the Moroccan market to Brazilian fish and fish products came after the North African country, which produces an average 1.3 million metric tons (MT) of fish annually, officially recognized Brazil’s International Animal Health Certificate as a valid proof of the safety of the country’s seafood products.
Morocco, the largest maritime fisheries producer in Africa, is reported to have imported fish worth USD 240 million (EUR 219 million) in 2018, according to Brazilian Secretary Ministry of Aquaculture and Fisheries Jorge Seif Junior. He said Morocco is especially keen on importing skipjack tuna, squid, and shrimp.
Demand for seafood is growing rapidly in Morocco, according to a Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) report. Fish consumption in Morocco is estimated at 10 kilograms per person annually, but the government hopes to increase the average to 16 kilograms per person yearly by the end of 2020 under its Halieutis strategy. The industry-focused development blueprint calls for increasing turnover from the fishing industry to EUR 2 billion (USD 2.1 billion) and raising exports to EUR 1.5 billion (USD 1.6 billion) by the end of 2020.
Brazil’s entry into the Moroccan market comes at a time when the South American country has reported a surge in fish production. The surplus has led Brazil to search for new global markets for its fish and fish products, Junior said.
Brazil is reported to have produced 722,000 MT of fish in 2018, an increase of 4.5 percent from the previous year, according to a release from the organizers of ANUTEC BRAZIL, the International Meat and Animal Protein Suppliers Trade Show.
Photo courtesy of the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Supply
