Multiexport reverses losses and closes its first half-year with profits

Christian Pérez The strong increase in sales in the first six months of this year is mainly explained by a 39.6 percent rise in the sales volume, according to the company. Regarding production, Multiexport produced 29,989 tonnes of salmonids, itemized in 25,957 tonnes of Atlantic salmon (+31.2%) and 4,031 tonnes of Rainbow trout (+138,5%). However, this increase in volume was partially offset by lower salmon prices. Meanwhile, the company harvested 10,991 tonnes of Atlantic salmon in the second quarter of this year and 194 tonnes of Rainbow trout. At unitary level, the operational EBIT for Atlantic salmon in Multiexport was of US$ -1.04/Kg WFE, representing a decline compared to the US$ -0.08/Kg WFE recorded by the company in the same period of 2012, which is explained by higher production costs and the early harvest of the King farming site due to an ISA virus outbreak last April. In turn, Rainbow trout reached an operational EBIT of US$ -0.62/Kg WFE during the period. In the first six months of this year, Multiexport Foods was the largest Chilean exporter of Atlantic salmon and smoked salmon.