Morocco, Guatemala, Thailand, Ghana, Libya, Ivory Coast and Belarus stand out for their exceptional growth in 2021.
Signo, a textile company in the province of Imbabura, recently made its first export of sweaters to Guatemala, a Central American nation with which Ecuador signed last Tuesday the approval of the expansion and deepening of the Partial Scope Agreement, in force since 2013.
This enables 89% of Ecuadorian exports to that market to benefit from preferential access. It is about 148 products that are added to the 614 that already entered with benefits.
The bilateral trade exchange from 2017 to 2019 reached an average $ 119 million, only Ecuadorian exports to this market registered an average value of $ 73 million in that period.
148 more Ecuadorian products will enter Guatemala with tariff preferences after expansion of trade agreement
It is a market followed closely by Ecuadorian exporters, since in 2021, from January to October, it had already been exported for $ 48 million, more than 60% of what was exported in three years. This placed that destination among the seven revelation markets this year along with Morocco, Thailand, Ghana, Libya, Ivory Coast and Belarus, according to the Ecuadorian Federation of Exporters (Fedexpor), which justified the name ‘revelation markets’ due to the significant increase in exports.
Products such as fresh fish, flowers, bananas and shrimp are the main ones that reach these markets, among which Ghana and Ivory Coast stand out, which grew 1,002% and 906%, respectively, with exports of around $ 33 million. .
The main Ecuadorian product that reaches these markets is fresh fish, which grew more than 1,000% in both cases.
Bruno Leone, president of the National Fisheries Chamber (CNP), confirmed the outstanding performance of these destinations that are served by around ten Ecuadorian companies.
He assured that Ecuador reaches those African countries with fresh frozen products such as macarena, bottle and other small pelagics that are sent without head, guts and tail, and also in the presentation of loins.
“This is a new item that has been opened and coincidentally like last year, and this one we are also going to have, it is the influence of the La Niña phenomenon, that has been a very conducive environment for the recruitment and improvement of schools. of those species ”, explained Leone, who added that this adds to the work that the Chamber is doing for the process of fisheries improvement with a view to certification in the smaller fishery that has been carried out for three years.
On the total accumulated fishing exports to all destinations, Leone revealed that as of October 2021 they represent $ 1,499 million, 11.75% higher than that exported in the same period of 2020 and 9% to 2019.
Meanwhile, destinations like Libya and Morocco, in Africa, prefer bananas. Both markets imported $ 66 million from January to October, with a growth of 488% and 590% between January and October, respectively.
Ecuadorian bananas are sold abroad with more than 50 brands
Richard Salazar, Executive Director of the Banana Marketing and Export Association (Acorbanec), indicated that exports to Morocco went from 576,715 boxes of bananas, from January to October 2020, to 3’674,874; in the same period of 2021, conforming the growth that exceeds 500%.
Libya, on the other hand, went from 391,372 boxes to 2’258,781.
“Morocco is one of the markets in Africa that has grown the most. In quantities we have grown abysmally, “said Salazar, who said that these markets are supplied by around fourteen Ecuadorian brands, of which Chiquita is the one that concentrates 85% of shipments.
Salazar explained that this growth is due to the quality of the Ecuadorian bananas that arrive at their destination in good condition despite the long journey, which does not happen with the product of other competitors.
He highlighted the growth of Africa as a destination, which in the first ten months of 2021 increased by 33% by exporting more than 21.7 million boxes, 5.4 million more than in the same period of 2020.
In the case of Belarus, in Eastern Europe, the main Ecuadorian product is flowers, whose shipments grew 420% and represented $ 33 million in foreign currency.
Meanwhile, the first Ecuadorian export product, shrimp, also has its markets within this list of revelation destinations.
These are Guatemala and Thailand, where according to Fedexpor $ 116 million were exported, from January to October, in the case of Thailand 650% more than in the same period of 2020; and in Guatemala 112% more.
But nevertheless, José Antonio Camposano, Executive Director of the National Chamber of Aquaculture (CNA) and Chairman of the Board of the Corporation of Exporters Guilds of Ecuador (Cordex), there are clarifications to be made about the figures.
In the case of Guatemala, Camposano clarified that it is an export for reprocessing between companies of the same economic group.
The leader showed figures that indicate that from January to October Ecuadorian exports to that market were 8.2 million pounds, corresponding to $ 20.3 million. This value represented an increase of 43% compared to the same period in 2020.
Meanwhile, with respect to Thailand, the leader indicated that although it became an attractive destination in the first months of the year, since they have processing capacity that demands the Ecuadorian shrimp, the authorities of that country imposed a sanitary barrier that banned exports since last March.
He assured that Ecuador’s official claim is on its way to the World Trade Organization, since Thailand has not given a favorable response to all the information presented by Ecuador and the blockade persists.
Shrimp reached a record number of exports until October
However, the 25.6 million pounds that went to that market this year, representing $ 54.5 million, confirm, despite the barriers, an exceptional growth of 680% in relation to the 3 million pounds exported in the same period of the previous year.
Camposano specified that in both cases, as they are shrimp for reprocessing, most of them are exported whole.
“However, regarding the diversification of the shrimp product, the Ecuadorian aquaculture industry is always innovating, adapting its processes. In this way, the presentation of the product either whole or in other presentations with added value (glue, peeled and deveined, among others) will depend on the requirements of the importer in the destination market ”, indicated the union leader.
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