São Paulo – Frozen fish is the sector with the greatest potential for seafood exports from Brazil to Morocco. So said the Brazilian agricultural attaché to Rabat, Nilson César Castanheira Guimarães, who sent ANBA a study where he points out the opportunities for Brazilian companies that would like to take advantage of the Moroccan market opening for fisheries from Brazil. The North African Arab country acknowledge the International Zoosanitary Certificate (CZI) Brazil presented to export the product last February.
The survey by Guimarães show that in 2019 Morocco imported USD41.3 million in frozen fish. The executive points out a higher potential for Brazilian exports of skipjack tuna. From 2015 to 2019, the value of Morocco’s imports of this product were up by 215% and the volume 236%.
The main competitors in this market are Spain and France, whose exports to Morocco are duty free. Although Brazil has to pay the duty, the sector is still worthy, the attaché says. “With the current devaluation of real, even with the 10% tax on Brazilian products, it’s possible to be competitive in the Moroccan market,” Guimarães said in the study, pointing out that in 2015 the country exported 7,000 tonnes of the product. In 2019, it decreased to 3,305 tonnes.
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Brazil could also ship other frozen fishes, such as red porgy, corvina, hake, and streaked prochilod. “These are some fishes exported from Brazil that could find a niche in Morocco,” he explained.
Morocco has also imported more crustaceans and mollusks from the world. Out of all seafood, crustaceans are the most demanded by the Arab country, having reached USD96,283 in 2019, up 3.3% from 2015. Out of this group, shrimps are the most demanded.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
