Sri Lanka saw the value of its seafood exports fall dramatically in the first nine months of 2020 due to negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The country exported seafood worth LKR 31.22 billion (USD 169 million, EUR 145.3 million) between January and September, down 22.5 percent from the same period last year, as the pandemic led to a downturn in demand in Europe, according to the Sri Lanka Ministry of Fisheries, The Nation, Sri Lanka’s English-language newspaper, reported 1 November.
Declines were seen in all species, with lobster sales recording the biggest drop of 68.4 percent year-on-year to LKR 216 million (USD 1.2 million, EUR 1 million).
Sri Lanka’s other most lucrative seafood exports are crab, which brought in LKR 2.24 billion (USD 12 million, EUR 10.4 million) in the first nine months of the year; Prawns, which were valued at LKR 2.1 billion (USD 11.4 million, EUR 9.8 million) in exports; Live fish, valued at LKR 1.8 billion (USD 9.8 million, EUR 8.4 million) ; Shark fins, valued at LKR 262 million (USD 1.4 million, EUR 1.2 million); and fish maws, which brought LKR 28.4 million (USD 150,000, EUR 130,000) in export value to Sri Lanka.
Overall, Sri Lanka imported seafood worth LKR 28.84 billion (USD 156.2 million, EUR 134.2 million) in the first nine months of 2020, unchanged from the same period in 2019.
Apart from the decline in demand from the European Union, fewer flights out of Sri Lanka prohibited the export of higher-value seafood items, contributing to the value decline, State Minister of Ornamental Fish, Freshwater Fish and Shrimp Farming Development, Multiday Fishing, and Fish Export Kanchana Wijesekera said.
“There was a drop in air cargo flights,” Wijesekera said.
However, Wijesekera expressed hope that export orders are on the uptick.
“Our exports are unhindered even amidst the prevailing [coronavirus] situation,” he said. “Importers are already purchasing from us. We have been completing orders. The season has just begun.”
Sri Lanka has 34 seafood processing plants certified by the E.U. The country’s major export markets included the U.S., France, Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Germany, China, the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, the Netherlands, and Israel.
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