Greek fish see market share abroad decline

Greek fish farming products, mainly sea bream and bass, suffered fresh losses in their market share in the principal countries they are exported to last year due to the major competition they now face, primarily from their Turkish rivals.

Although Greek fish continues to dominate in the main European markets, exports to Italy, Spain and France declined in 2018 compared to the previous year, while in some cases Turkish bream and bass exports posted an annual growth rate of over 70 percent.

The increased output in Turkey combined with the devaluation of the Turkish lira has led to a drastic drop in the price of Turkish fish, making it particularly competitive in international markets. The trend has kept up this year too, with Greek aquaculture firms continuing to record losses in market share.

The latest annual report by the association of Greek aquaculture companies, published on Tuesday, showed that bream and bass sales in 2018 amounted to 106,500 tons worth 502 million euros, with 79 percent of sales – worth some 400 million euros – going abroad, to 32 countries. The average price of bream fell 1.5 percent from 2017 and that of bass was down 6 percent.