Brussels, 23/02/2015 (Agence Europe) - The most recent issue of the European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aquaculture Products (EUMOFA) published on Monday 23 February shows that the EU imported € 2.74 billion of tuna in 2013, an increase of 60% over 2010. More than 85% of it was canned tuna.
EUMOFA indicated that the EU spent €280 million less (-15%) to import canned tuna in the first three quarters of 2014. This reverses the five-year trend of steady increases in the import prices of canned tuna (more than 10% a year). It is the result of decreases in the import price, while imported volumes have remained stable.
EUMOFA also said Vietnamese shrimp exports to the EU grew faster than to any other market, increasing nearly 70% in value in the first three quarters of 2014, and reaching €250 million.
It highlighted the fact that France registered record-high first sales in December 2014, reaching €618 million in 2014 (+0.7%) including +30% for hake. In 2014, Portuguese first-sales value decreased 3%. The 20% decrease of sardines' first-sales value was only partially compensated by the increase of octopus (+19%). For further information, see: http://ec.europa.eu/fisheries/market-observatory/documents/10157/14151/Monthly + Highlights+-+No.1-2015.pdf . (Lionel Changeur)