Salmon processing plant belonging to Marine Harvest Chile. (Photo: Marine Harvest Chile)
The Chilean subsidiary of the salmon farming giant Marine Harvest harvested 17,000 tonnes of fish between July and September this year, representing 183.3 per cent more than in the same quarter last year, when 6,000 tonnes were obtained. And it expects to reach a 66,400 tonne production of gutted whole fish during the current year.
As for its financial results, Marine Harvest Chile reported an operational EBIT of NOK 101 million (USD 15.3 million), compared to NOK 10 million (USD 1.5 million) in the same period last year.
Following the presentation of the financial report of the Norwegian multinational firm for the third quarter of this year, the general manager of Marine Harvest Chile, Roberto Riethmüller, stressed higher prices and the good production results achieved in the country.
"This is the result of the efforts of the workers of the company in the implementation of a production model that has enabled fish to achieve excellent performance while being environmentally responsible and seeking integration with the communities where the company operates," stressed the entrepreneur.
Regarding the sanitary aspect, he admitted that the presence of sea lice remains a constant concern and said its control costs were kept.
"The cost of harvested biomass in our Chilean operation is currently low as a result of good farming practices and changes in the feeding regime, but the biological development in Chile remains a concern," pointed out Marine Harvest in the report. "The sea lice load at the end of the quarter was higher than in the corresponding time in 2013," it added.
The biomass cost decreased 9 per cent year on year thanks to the fact that the best feed conversion rates mitigated the increase in feed price per kilogram harvested, and good weather conditions favoured fish development.
Marine Harvest also mentioned that the lack of freezing capacity in Chile has hindered shipments to the Russian market after the ban recently imposed on seafood products from the United States and other nations.
According to the quarterly report submitted by Marine Harvest ASA, the group achieved a strong operational EBIT of NOK 912 million (USD 139 million), despite the market disruption and the biological challenges experienced in the first three months of 2014.
This result represents an increase of 15 per cent compared with the same period last year, when the company reported an EBIT of NOK 793 million (USD 120.8 million).
In addition, the company reported operating revenues and other income of NOK 6,202 million (USD 945.4 million) in the period under review, compared to NOK 4,307 million (USD 656.6 million) in the same quarter of 2013.