Seafood sales at an Irish supermarket. (Photo: BIM)
Irish seafood sales grow, inside and outside the country
REPUBLIC OF IRELAND
Thursday, October 18, 2018, 02:20 (GMT + 9)
Irish seafood exports recorded last year in the internal and external market for the first time exceeded the mark of EUR 1 billion, transforming 2017 into "an exceptional year for the country's marine economy".
As it was outlined by Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) CEO Jim O'Toole, exports grew by 10 per cent, to EUR 666 million, while seafood sales domestically increased by 4 per cent, to EUR 429 million, The Irish Independent reported.
In the BIM 2017 annual report, the CEO pointed out that Ireland was "well-placed to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the current global seafood trends".
"As the world's population grows, seafood remains the protein source of choice for many in Africa and an increasing number of middle-class consumers in the Asia-Pacific region, where per capita consumption of seafood has trebled in the last 25 years alone," O'Toole said.
For his part, BIM chairperson Kieran Calnan said that the seafood sector "contributed a sizeable EUR 1.15 billion to the nation's economy in 2017, a significant increase of 6.4 per cent on the previous year".
Calnan pointed out that over 14,000 people are directly and indirectly employed in the seafood sector, many of them based in Ireland's remote coastal communities where alternative options are limited. In this sense, he said that the success of the Irish seafood industry is vital to the economies of these regions.
The spend by BIM last year increased by 36.7 per cent, going from EUR 25.35 million to EUR 34.4 million and this was funded largely by a grant from of EUR 33.4 million from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
The bulk of BIM's spending last year centred around 'Industry Current Development,' which increased from EUR 11.98 million to EUR 14.5 million while the spend on 'Industry Capital Development' went up from EUR 3.5 million to EUR 8.5 million.
BIM last year recorded a surplus of EUR 1.7 million - more than three times the surplus of EUR 492,000 recorded in 2016.
Numbers employed by BIM last year increased from 117 to 142 with staff costs decreasing marginally going from EUR 7.26 million to EUR 7.23 million.
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