Spain, Switzerland good prospects for N.Z. fish exports

Press, 19 April 1982, Page 12

Spain, Switzerland good prospects for N.Z. fish exports

PA Wellington Fish export prospects to Spain are good, says Mr Russell Armitage, of the Fishing Industry Board. Exports could grow from $2 million this year, to $lO million when Spain is fully part of the European Economic Community, said Mr Armitage, the board’s economics and marketing manager. Switzerland is a growing market for the prime deepwater orange roughy, which could become a big market for the species after Australia. Mr Armitage has returned from a five-week visit to Western Europe, including two weeks in Spain where he took care of the board’s stand at the Alimentaria food exhibition in Barcelona. New Zealand fish exports to Spain have grown from nothing a few years ago to $2 million, in spite of a high 17 to 24 per cent duty. “I would think that by the time Spain is. properly in the E.E.C. we should be able to send about $8 million to $lO million there in today's terms." Mr Armitage said. "Entry into the E.E.C. should mean a reduction of

protection, and so our position can only improve.” For the E.E.C. duty was only 5 to 12 per cent on imported fish. Spain will begin entry next year. Fish was the most expensive protein in Spain as a result of increases in catching costs, depleting fisheries, and exclusion from traditional fishing grounds. The high prices had allowed New Zealand exporters to sell there Import and freight costs were high, he said. The main species sold to Spain were squid, ling and hake, but less familiar species such as hoki and oreo dory were being increasingly accepted. Last year there had been a problem with Soviet and Japanese boats supplying, cheap fish to the Spanish market through' the Canary Islands free port. This was not happening now, partly because of the better squid prices in Japan. Mr Armitage also said a tightly controlled marketing, programme for orange roughy in Switzerland was paying well. The programme by a limited number of exporters was likely to make Switzerland the second biggest orange roughy export market after Australia.

"It has established a -place in the premium tourist, hotel and catering trade, which is a very large one in Switzerland,” he said. A similar potential market for the species existed in Austria, which also had a big tourist . industry and a diverse cuisine, and in Bavaria. Prospects for fish exports to northern Germany were poor, although German consumers had high incomes. Most Germans had a more basic diet and had little interest in extending their tastes.