International Markets Bureau
MARKET INDICATOR REPORT | MARCH 2010
Inside Mexico
TRADE SUMMARY
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
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CANADIAN PERFORMANCE
Inside Mexico Seafood Trade
By the Numbers 3 Competitive Landscape 4 Market Opportunities 4
Mexico is a large market and an important trading partner of the Canadian economy. In 2008, the population of Mexico was more than three times the population of Canada. Mexico is Canada’s fourth-largest export market, attracting over 3.6% of Canada’s agri-food and seafood export products.
In the fish and seafood market, Mexico’s world market share has increased every year since 2003. Mexico’s 2008 imports totaled US $567M, an increase of 10.7% from 2007. The top suppliers to Mexico were: China (21.5%), the United States (U.S.) (16.4%), Vietnam (11.1%), Chile(8.1%) and Thailand (7.2%). Mexico is supplied with seafood by 89 countries. Mexico’s main fish and seafood imports include: frozen fillets of trout, salmon, hake and others ($176M), prepared tuna ($53.7M), prepared shrimp and prawns ($48.4M), frozen shrimp and prawns ($46M), and frozen skipjack tuna ($39.5M).
In 2008, Mexico exported just over $749M fish and seafood products. Most of Mexico’s seafood exports were frozen shrimp and prawns ($366M), other fresh fish ($45.6M), rock lobster and other sea crawfish ($40.64M), and frozen, yellowfin tuna ($25M). Top export destinations include the U.S. (78.1%), Japan (5.9%), Spain (3.8%) and Hong Kong (3.5%). Although Mexico is a net exporter of fish and seafood, it still imports those species whose local production is insufficient to meet demand.
Canada currently stands 16th as a supplier of fish and seafood to Mexico, with sales of $8.4M in 2008 (based on Mexican import data). This represents a decline of 24.01% from 2007. This can largely be attributed to a decrease in imports of the following Canadian products: spider crabs (-87.9%), dried, salted fish (-71.7%), prepared molluscs (-70.5%), and prepared shrimp and prawns (-52.3%).
Over the past five years, Mexico has been an inconsistent importer of Canadian fish and seafood. Canadian exports to Mexico have ranged from $14.2M in 2005, to $8.4M in 2008.
Canada’s top fish and seafood exports to Mexico in 2008 were: prepared shrimp and prawns ($2.2M), frozen fillets of nishin, tara, buri, saba, iwashi and aj ($1.1M), prepared sardines ($1.2M) and fresh lobster ($1.0M).
THE INCREASE IN CRUSTACEAN IMPORTS BETWEEN 2007 AND 2008 WAS 26%.
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BY THE NUMBERS
Mexican Fish and Seafood Imports (US $Million)World Top Supplier
Total 567.3 China
Frozen fish fillets 176 Vietnam Frozen shrimp and prawns 46.1 China
Frozen skipjack tuna 39.5 South Korea Other frozen fish 23.9 China Shrimp and prawns, not frozen 23 Guatemala
Frozen yellowfin tuna 17 South Korea Frozen dogfish 10 Costa Rica
Top Mexican Seafood Import Changes
10% 1.5% 14% 26% 24% 15% 21% 4.7% 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 F is h A nd S ea fo od F ille t,O th r F is h M ea t F ro ze n F is h, No t F ille ts Cr us ta ce an s F is h, Dr ie d, S al te d E tc O th er S ea fo od Li ve F is h F re sh F is h, No t F ille t January-December 2007/2008 % Ch an g e
Top Mexican Fish and Seafood Suppliers 2008
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 Chin a Unite d St ates Viet nam Chile Thail and Gua tem ala Kore a So uth Norw ay Taiw an Indo nesia Vene zuel a Hond uras Spain Cost a Ri ca Ecua dor Cana da M ill io n s o f U S D o lla rs
COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE — TOP SEAFOOD SUPPLIERS TO MEXICO
MARKET OPPORTUNITIES
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There are opportunities to export frozen crustaceans to Mexico, particularly in tourist centers such as Can-cun, Puerto Vallarta and Acapulco, where there is demand for these high-end products at resorts.
Frozen fish fillets including, trout, salmon, hake and others are very popular in Mexico.
Frozen rock lobster and sea crawfish imports have experienced a sudden increase and became a million dollar industry in 2008. Mexico imported 13.8% of all imports of these species from Canada, in this market for the first time.
Yellowfin tuna imports grew by $14M in 2008. These fish are found in Canadian waters along the edge of the Gulf Stream and Georges Bank, the Scotian Shelf and the Grand Banks throughout the year.
Canadian prepared shrimp and prawn exports have the potential to grow as imports in Mexico are growing. Canada is currently the fourth leading supplier to Mexico.
Mexican imports of frozen shrimp and prawns grew from US $29M to US $46M between 2007 and 2008. Canada has not tapped into this market since 2006.
Frozen fish fillets: US $55M
Prepared shrimps and prawns: US $24M
Frozen fillets of nishin, tara, buri, sawa: US $18.1M
Frozen shrimp and prawns: US $8.8M
Prepared squid and cuttle fish: US $4.2M
Prepared tuna: US $3.7M
Frozen fish fillets: US $23M
Prepared fish: US $19M
Prepared shrimp and prawns: US $15M
Live ornamental fish: US $6.2M Frozen skipjack tuna: US $5.6M
Frozen fillets of nishin, tara, buri, sawa: US $2.4M
Frozen fish fillets: US $56M
Frozen shrimp and prawns: US $1.6M
Prepared tuna: US $4.7M
Other prepared fish: US $0.1M
Prepared shrimp and prawns: US $0.1M
Prepared molluscs: US $0.08M
Frozen trout or salmon fillets: US $31M
Fresh fish fillets and fish meat: US $5.5M
Smoked salmon: US $2.6M
Prepared squid and cuttlefish: US $1.6M
Prepared salmon: US $0.7M
Fresh pacific salmon: US $0.7M
Chinese Exports to Mexico in 2008
American Exports to Mexico in 2008
Inside Mexico Seafood Trade
© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, 2010 ISSN 1920-6615 Market Indicator Report
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Aussi disponible en français sous le titre : Le commerce des fruits de la mer au Mexique
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