European buyers have expressed interest in the octopus from Yucatan, which would allow the local product to reach into new international markets in this capture season, Delfin Quesada Dominguez, the State Commissioner of Fisheries and Aquaculture, told Notimex.
In an interview, he explained that the food from Yucatan is already sold in countries such as Japan, China and the United States where it is bought for being a high quality product.
Recently there has been a rapprochement of buyers from Europe to bring the marine product to that country, which would strengthen Yucatan as one of the leading exporters of mollusk as well as Africa, he added.
“There are already buyers of Spain and Italy in dealings with fishermen and permit holders of Yucatan, which should be already in the process of closing deals to buy local product and bring it to their markets,” he said.
“This situation will give an added attraction to the fishery, as having more international buyers, prices could rise, for the benefit of seamen,” he mentioned.
Fishermen offloading octopus. (Photo: fishbio.com)
The exportation octopus currently values between three and four thousand dollars per ton, and could reach up to five thousand dollars with the interest of the European market, he considered.
Quezada Dominguez said there are also entrepreneurs from states like Jalisco and Mexico City about to close a deal to bring the mollusk to these entities as part of the national sales generated by the fishery.
He highlighted that the octopus from Yucatan has the quality and safety recognized by European markets, which will allow its arrival without problems into that region.
He recalled this year it is expected the capture exceeds the 24 thousand tons obtained in 2015.
He emphasized that there were agreements between fishermen and fish companies to set at 70 pesos per kilogram of mollusk on the beach, to avoid the surcharges that do not allow freezers and exporters to purchase it.
Source: www.notimex.gob.mx
