Mussel, Mytilus chilensis. (Photo: Dentren / CC BY-SA 3.0)
CHILEMonday, January 12, 2015, 01:40 (GMT + 9)
Chile sent abroad 61,421 tonnes of mussels (Mytilus chilensis) in the first 11 months of 2014, a volume that represents a decrease of 1.4 per cent compared with exports in the same period of 2013 (62,263 tonnes).
In value terms, mussel exports generated revenue of USD 181.4 million between January and November 2014, 2.4 per cent more than the same period last year, when it was USD 177 million, according to a report by Infotrade for Aqua.
The European Union (EU) led Chilean mussel purchases until last November, with imports totalling USD 112.9 million, equivalent to 62 per cent of the total value.
The United States stood in second place with USD 21.2 million; followed by Asia with USD 14.8 million; and Latin America, with USD 10.3 million.
In addition, the report by Infotrade also details that an average price accompanied the industry: the cost per kilogram increased from USD 2.84 in the first 11 months of 2013 to USD 2.95 in the same period in 2014.
St. Andrews Smoky Delicacies again led the ranking per company, with returns of USD 30 million from the export of 10,703 tonnes of mussels.
The second largest exporter of mussels was Blue Shell, with sales of 7,418 tonnes worth USD 21.3 million.
Further back was Cultivos Marinos del Pacífico, which exported 6,688 tonnes of mussels for USD 18.8 million; Sudmaris Chile, with 5,247 tonnes worth USD 14.1 million; andPesquera Trans Antartic, with 2,027 tonnes worth USD 12 million.
According to statistics from the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Service(Sernapesca), the harvests of mussels accumulated until November 2014 totalled 224,620 tonnes, 7.5 per cent less than in the first 11 months of 2013 (242,935 tonnes). All the harvested mussels came from Region X.