Mercosur countries show increased appetite for salmon

Christian Pérez According to a trade report recently published by the Chilean General Directorate for International Economic Relations (Direcon), exports of salmon (Atlantic and Coho) to the Mercosur countries experienced a 60 per cent increase between the years 2012 and 2013, from US$ ~325 million to US$ ~519 million. Moreover, the average growth between 2009 and 2013 was 27 per cent per year, which represents an accumulated increase of 155 per cent over the same period. Brazil accounts for most of this growth with a 59 per cent increase between 2012 and 2013 - from US$ ~296 million to US$ ~472 million. 

Argentina is the second largest market for Chilean salmon among the Mercosur member countries*. Chile exported salmon products worth US$ ~43 million to Argentina in 2013, representing a 61 per cent increase compared to the previous year and an overall average increase of 23 per cent per year since 2009. *The report of Direcon does not include figures from Venezuela, a country which became full member of Mercosur in July 2012.