The owner of Aqualaria, Gustavo Larrazabal, is in a hurry to pluck the daisy in 2022 with investments in the south of Gran Canaria in the business of fish breeding and export. The fishing promoter has ordered the commercial director, Pedro Antonio Sánchez, to accelerate contacts with the public sector so that the sales growth process committed to MCH Private is no longer in progress.
Thus, Sánchez has assured that he trusts that the territories where the company has interests will accelerate the permits, as recommended by the European Parliament, which in some cases are delayed by up to 4 years. The European Union (EU) imports 70 percent of the seafood it consumes, generating an annual trade deficit of 21.000 billion euros. The text urges the European Commission to establish a strong legislative framework for aquaculture in Europe and calls on Member States to use the resources of the European Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund to develop a sustainable fish farming sector.
Aquanaria hopes to speed up the processes and favor an investment that already exists, because there is a market. Sánchez has indicated that Aquanaria hopes that the regulatory framework in the south of Gran Canaria adapts to the European standard and that permits to generate activity are reduced. The post-pandemic and climate change, among the triggers of the perfect storm that threatens a sector of more than 500 million euros. Furthermore, all the elements necessary to produce aquatic species have become more expensive compared to last year, some with increases never seen before. At the same time, aquaculture products do not benefit from the super-reduced IGIC that does apply to other items in the shopping basket.
The aquaculture sector is no stranger to the upward trend that raw materials are experiencing in 2021 and that is having a direct impact on the global economy. A general increase that is noticeable in all the essential elements to deliver farmed fish, shellfish and seaweed to the point of sale. In statements by Javier Ojeda, Aquaculture Manager of Spain, "the scenario in which we find ourselves now is something unprecedented for a sector like ours. There is no reference to an upward evolution as pronounced and prolonged over time as this one."
The epilogue of Covid19 and extreme weather phenomena have affected the availability of consumables. All countries have seen their productive capacity reduced by the containment of the coronavirus. The subsequent rebound has also strained supply chains. Inputs for aquaculture have become more expensive, in addition to transportation. To this circumstance, we must add the effects on the productivity of raw materials caused by climatic accidents related to climate change, such as torrential rains in Spain or the extreme heat wave in Canada and the United States, in summer 2021.
Raising marine and river aquatic species with the parameters of excellence in which the Spanish aquaculture sector is framed implies the consumption of the elements necessary for the development and commercialization of fish, shellfish and algae. The consumable goods essential to be able to have this food have experienced increases like the rest of production costs. In addition to the increase in 2021, distortions in production capacities and transportation predict that cost growth will continue in 2022.
This is confirmed by entities such as the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. An increase that reaches a productive sector with very tight margins after the pandemic and the increases this year. On average, it represents an extra expense of 45-50 cts/kg, which is reflected in production costs. Events such as the pandemic have highlighted the need for a resilient and healthy food sector. This has been reflected in the European directives that regulate agri-food activity. In order to satisfy food needs, it is essential that food companies are efficient and profitable. Companies in the sector based on the islands have to face the general increase in the elements necessary for their activity without commercial margin to assume them.
