Argentina reduces export duties on processed fish products

Argentina resolved to reduce the rights of export for fish products processed entirely in the country to encourage shipments abroad from this sector, official sources reported this Saturday.

Through a decree signed by the Argentine president, Alberto Fernández, and published this Saturday in the Official Gazette, export duties were eliminated – up to 4.5% – for canned fish and seafood processed entirely in Argentina, whether these ready-made or semi-ready dishes, in sauces or oils.

In other cases, the export duty rates were lowered, as in the case of packaged “easy peel” or “ail Long” shrimp, whose tariff was lowered from 5% to 1%, and the clean tube of squid in packages of up to one kilo, whose aliquot goes from 7% to 5%.

At the same time, the export duties for corvina go to 5% – instead of 7% – and in the case of whiting, sole, grouper, sea bream, among other frozen fillets of sea species, the tariffs at 3%, from a 5% rate.

As stated in a statement by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries of Argentina, the measure seeks to promote the export of fishery products in presentations for final consumption that are made through processes that are entirely completed in the country.

The decree affirms that the new scale of aliquots is governed by a “logic of promotion of development and incentives” for production and exports of the fishing production chains with the aim of promoting the addition of value and promoting job creation.

“With this measure, we support the fishing companies that invest in our country, that invest in our people,” said the Undersecretary of Fisheries and Aquaculture of Argentina, Carlos Liberman in the statement.

Liberman remarked that the Government of Alberto Fernández seeks that the fishing sector “work with Argentine vessels”, unload in Argentine ports and process and transform the raw material in local plants.

“Until 2020 those who do all this had the same tax treatment, as those who exported only raw materials and who generated all this value abroad,” said the official, who described that scenario as something “unfair.”

In this sense, he argued that this change in export rights that benefits products made entirely in the country is a step to “reverse this inequity and to achieve the objective of integral fishing, with more Argentines participating in it” .

According to a recent report from the firm IES consultants, in the first eight months of this year, Argentine fish exports reached US $ 1,251 million, with an increase of 18.9% compared to the same period in 2020.

Measured in quantities, they marked a year-on-year increase of 6.3%, totaling 347,000 tons.

Meanwhile, between January and August, fishing catches totaled 553,000 tons, with a year-on-year growth of 2.5%.