Information in the 9th annual statistical report from the Hellenic Aquaculture Producers Association, covering the latest available year, 2022, supports what all European consumers of farmed fish already know: Greek seafood is among the best. More than four fifths of the total volume of Greece’s production of farmed fish is exported to 40 countries, including 37 countries in Europe (mainly Italy, Spain, and France). Monthly export volumes range from 5,900 to 10,200 tonnes, with the most important products being sea bream and sea bass in whole (not filleted) form. Annual (2022) exports of these species reached 104,192 tonnes valued at 600.65 million euros. Average prices for the two main species in 2022 were up by 3% and 19%, respectively, despite strong competition with other large producers in foreign markets. The remaining production by Greece is marketed domestically, including to tourists from abroad through HoReCa channels, further reinforcing the Greek seafood industry’s international renown.
Not all is rosy, of course. There are many economic challenges from large rivals, mainly Turkey whose currency has declined sharply in recent years, making Turkish exports more competitive pricewise. General inflationary trends in Greece’s three major export markets have weakened consumer purchasing power there, adding to marketing difficulties. On the production side, costs continued to rise due to a revaluation of the ingredients in fish feed and to the prolonged energy crisis and high interest rates that are both beyond the industry’s control and affect the whole economy. Employment in Greek aquaculture included 3,871 direct jobs and around 8,000 workers in indirect industries and tends to be significant in more remote areas of the country, including its islands.
An interesting side note is the small volumes of farmed bream and bass that are imported into Greece from Turkey and then directly re-exported (as a product of Turkey) to other EU markets. This trade, which clears Greek Customs at both ends, in 2022 totalled 8,524 tonnes of bream and 4,089 tonnes of bass, is possibly a transport cost-reduction effort by Turkish industry but in any case, involves a fraction of that country’s exports.