Europe is becoming a major growth market for Chilean seafood companies, and the Chilean Export Promotion Bureau will be giving them a push at the European Seafood Exposition in Brussels April 23-25.
The Bureau's pavilion at ESE will showcase 16 companies representing the Chilean fisheries and aquaculture sector. They will offer a diverse range of fish and shellfish, including mussels, salmon, trout and whitefish.
Chile is a global player in fishing and fish farming, thanks to position an extensive coastline, cold clear waters, and a natural abundance of fish in the sea. It is now the second largest salmon producer in the world, after Norway.
The country has also developed a well-equipped and innovative processing industry, which benefits from a highly trained workforce and competitive labor costs. Transport of processedseafood by sea, moreover, is not only environmental friendly, but also competitive.
This year, Chile celebrates the tenth anniversary of a bilateral trade agreement with the European Union. Following ten years of business, both countries now benefit from a tariff-free trade contract. During that time, trade has tripled from $7.3 billion in 2002 to $22.5 billion in 2012.
Based on UN Food and Agriculture Organization reports, Chile sees exciting new opportunities as consumption patterns change, and consumers move more towards convenience products, produced in a sustainable way, with a low carbon footprint. Chile is well placed to supply this demand and its companies look forward to discussing new innovations with visitors to ESE.
