Seafood exporters are eager to pick up clients in Russia while the ban on western seafood remains in place. Meeting Russian clients was a priority for several firms at the Asia seafood expo in Hong Kong, among them two tuna canners from Maldives, Horizon Fisheries and Mifco.
“We believe the Russian ban on western imports gives us a good opportunity and we met some potential Russian customers here at the fair,” said Mitrah Naseem, head of procurement at Mifco, a state-owned firm with a cannery, loins plant and 200,000 tons of warehousing capacity. “Up to now we have focused on the European market but we are looking for new customers in Asia and in Russia,” he said.
Being effected by weaker European demand after the global economic crisis, the Maldives has been inspired to look to new markets like China, a top source of tourists visiting the island nation. Tourism and fisheries (in that order) are the two key sources of revenue for the Maldives as a nation, said Naseem. China is nearer than Europe to the Maldives; it's a six-hour flight from the Maldives to Hong Kong, a key freight transshipment hub.
The Maldives has traditionally exported its tuna to European markets where its line-caught methods of catch is seen as more sustainable than the net-focused Thai tuna sector. Potential buyers in Asia and Russia have been “comfortable” with the prices of Maldives tuna, said Naseem. Its line method of catching makes Maldives tuna pricier, with Mifco selling 185g cans of skipjack tuna steak for USD 1.25 (EUR 0.96).
Whereas Chinese consumers traditionally prefer fresh there is more of a tradition of eating canned and preserved seafood in Russia. “Thailand has more volume than we do but we can be competitive,” explained Aminath Zaeema, marketing manager at Horizon Fisheries, a privately run firm that counts British supermarket chain Sainsbury’s among its clients.
Opening the Russian market will take time for the Maldives which is waiting for Russia to send its quarantine and sanitary authorities to the island to certify exporters, said Zaeema. “We are waiting for the inspectors to come and approve our cannery, it will take a while.” The Maldives exporters are seeking assistance from the Russian embassy in Sri Lanka that covers the Maldives. In any case, said Zaeema, Horizon Fisheries plans to exhibit at Russia’s main seafood expo in 2015.
The Maldives isn’t alone in seizing on the opportunity presented by Russia’s ban on western imports. “For the next ten years our focus will be China and Russia, we see these two markets as the big opportunities,” said Ciro d’Antonio, head of sales at Frigorifico del Sud Este, an Argentinean firm which ships shrimp to China. He believes Russia’s size and its recently imposed ban on western seafood means it’s become a priority for Argentina, a major food exporting nation. “We can be a supplier in all categories,” said d’Antonio.
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