Farmed shrimp. (Photo: Stock File)
NICARAGUAWednesday, January 07, 2015, 03:00 (GMT + 9)
Nicaragua registered record figures for fisheries and aquaculture production in 2014 exceeding expectations, according to the Centre for Export Procedures (Cetrex).
However, revenues from the export of these products fell 8.3 per cent from 2013.
According to the government report, fisheries and aquaculture production totalled 96.7 million pounds, equivalent to 108 per cent of the number initially projected.
"Compared to 2013, production increased by 28 per cent," says the document.
Nevertheless, Cetrex reported that foreign sales of these products totalled USD 227.1 million at the end of 2014, that is to say, USD 19 million less than a year earlier.
The report also states that in 2014, revenues from exports of farmed shrimp totalled USD 106.9 million, compared to USD 150.3 million in 2013, El Nuevo Diario reported.
This decline reflects a decrease of 2.9 per cent in international prices of farmed shrimp, which fell from USD 6.13 to USD 5.95 per kilogram, and a reduction of 29 per cent in export volumes.
The document also details that last year shrimp farming totalled 62.7 million pounds, 23 per cent more than in 2013.
On the other hand, in 2014, exports of fish increased 29.3 per cent, from USD 26.2 million to USD 33.9 million. This growth was driven by an improvement of 10.1 per cent in international prices of fish.
Fish production in 2014 was of 17.9 million pounds, up 27 per cent from a year earlier.
Lobster production in 2014 reached 3.5 million pounds, 15 per cent more than in 2013, and exports increased from 47.5 million in 2013 to USD 56.04 million.
Production of sea cucumber was 2 million pounds, equivalent to 119 per cent of projected numbers, and 36 per cent more than in 2013, ICN Diario informed.