European Canned Tuna Market - Spain Strengthened Its Position as the Leading Exporter of Canned Tuna in the EU

IndexBox has just published a new report: 'EU - Tuna (Prepared Or Preserved) - Market Analysis, Forecast, Size, Trends And Insights'. Here is a summary of the report's key findings.

The revenue of the canned tuna market in the European Union amounted to $7.9B in 2018, growing by 8.7% against the previous year. This figure reflects the total revenues of producers and importers (excluding logistics costs, retail marketing costs, and retailers' margins, which will be included in the final consumer price). Over the period under review, tuna consumption continues to indicate a relatively flat trend pattern. The pace of growth appeared the most rapid in 2013 when the market value increased by 17% y-o-y. In that year, the tuna market reached its peak level of $8.5B. From 2014 to 2018, the growth of the tuna market remained at a somewhat lower figure.

Exports in the EU

The exports totaled 235K tonnes in 2018, surging by 9.8% against the previous year. The total exports indicated strong growth from 2008 to 2018: its volume increased at an average annual rate of +4.6% over the last decade. The trend pattern, however, indicated some noticeable fluctuations being recorded throughout the analyzed period. Based on 2018 figures, tuna exports increased by +69.2% against 2010 indices. The pace of growth was the most pronounced in 2014 when exports increased by 14% against the previous year. Over the period under review, tuna exports attained their peak figure in 2018 and are expected to retain its growth in the immediate term.

In value terms, canned tuna exports stood at $1.5B (IndexBox estimates) in 2018. The total exports indicated a remarkable expansion from 2008 to 2018: its value increased at an average annual rate of +4.6% over the last decade. The trend pattern, however, indicated some noticeable fluctuations being recorded throughout the analyzed period. Based on 2018 figures, tuna exports increased by +55.7% against 2015 indices. The pace of growth appeared the most rapid in 2011 when exports increased by 25% y-o-y. Over the period under review, tuna exports reached their maximum in 2018 and are likely to see steady growth in the near future.

Exports by Country

Spain represented the major exporting country with an export of around 115K tonnes, which resulted at 49% of total exports. The Netherlands (51K tonnes) occupied a 22% share (based on tonnes) of total exports, which put it in second place, followed by Italy (10%), Germany (6.3%) and Portugal (5.6%). The following exporters - the UK (4,082 tonnes) and Belgium (3,709 tonnes) - each recorded a 3.3% share of total exports.

From 2008 to 2018, average annual rates of growth with regard to tuna exports from Spain stood at +4.5%. At the same time, the Netherlands (+21.0%), Portugal (+10.3%), Belgium (+6.1%) and Italy (+3.7%) displayed positive paces of growth. Moreover, the Netherlands emerged as the fastest-growing exporter in the European Union, with a CAGR of +21.0% from 2008-2018. By contrast, Germany (-3.6%) and the UK (-7.7%) illustrated a downward trend over the same period. From 2008 to 2018, the share of the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and Italy increased by +19%, +17%, +3.5% and +3.2% percentage points, while the UK (-2.1 p.p.) and Germany (-2.8 p.p.) saw their share reduced. The shares of the other countries remained relatively stable throughout the analyzed period.

In value terms, Spain ($720M) remains the largest tuna supplier in the European Union, comprising 49% of total tuna exports. The second position in the ranking was occupied by the Netherlands ($281M), with a 19% share of total exports. It was followed by Italy, with a 14% share.

From 2008 to 2018, the average annual rate of growth in terms of value in Spain stood at +4.6%. The remaining exporting countries recorded the following average annual rates of exports growth: the Netherlands (+22.5% per year) and Italy (+4.0% per year).

Export Prices by Country

The tuna export price in the European Union stood at $6,297 per tonne in 2018, picking up by 7.2% against the previous year. Over the period under review, the tuna export price continues to indicate a relatively flat trend pattern. The pace of growth appeared the most rapid in 2011 when the export price increased by 12% year-to-year. Over the period under review, the export prices for tuna (prepared or preserved) reached their peak figure at $7,022 per tonne in 2013; however, from 2014 to 2018, export prices stood at a somewhat lower figure.

Prices varied noticeably by the country of origin; the country with the highest price was Italy ($8,355 per tonne), while Germany ($5,047 per tonne) was amongst the lowest.

From 2008 to 2018, the most notable rate of growth in terms of prices was attained by the UK, while the other leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.

Imports in the EU

In 2018, the amount of tuna (prepared or preserved) imported in the European Union totaled 736K tonnes, growing by 2.5% against the previous year. The total import volume increased at an average annual rate of +1.6% from 2008 to 2018; the trend pattern remained consistent, with somewhat noticeable fluctuations throughout the analyzed period. The growth pace was the most rapid in 2017 when imports increased by 11% y-o-y. Over the period under review, tuna imports reached their maximum in 2018 and are expected to retain its growth in the near future.

In value terms, tuna imports stood at $3.9B (IndexBox estimates) in 2018. The total import value increased at an average annual rate of +3.0% over the period from 2008 to 2018; the trend pattern indicated some noticeable fluctuations being recorded over the period under review. The pace of growth was the most pronounced in 2011 when imports increased by 27% year-to-year. The level of imports peaked in 2018 and are likely to see steady growth in the near future.

Imports by Country

The countries with the highest levels of tuna imports in 2018 were Italy (129K tonnes), Spain (125K tonnes), France (105K tonnes), the UK (105K tonnes) and Germany (93K tonnes), together reaching 76% of total import. It was distantly followed by the Netherlands (48K tonnes), creating a 6.5% share of total imports. Portugal (24K tonnes) took a relatively small share of total imports.

From 2008 to 2018, the most notable rate of growth in terms of imports, amongst the main importing countries, was attained by the Netherlands, while the other leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.

In value terms, Spain ($723M), Italy ($622M) and France ($570M) were the countries with the highest levels of imports in 2018, with a combined 49% share of total imports. These countries were followed by the UK, Germany, the Netherlands and Portugal, which together accounted for a further 36%.

In terms of the main importing countries, the Netherlands recorded the highest growth rate of imports, over the last decade, while the other leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.

Import Prices by Country

The tuna import price in the European Union stood at $5,272 per tonne in 2018, jumping by 9.5% against the previous year. Over the last decade, it increased at an average annual rate of +1.3%. The growth pace was the most rapid in 2011 when the import price increased by 17% year-to-year. Over the period under review, the import prices for tuna (prepared or preserved) reached their peak figure in 2018 and is expected to retain its growth in the immediate term.

Average prices varied noticeably amongst the major importing countries. In 2018, major importing countries recorded the following prices: in Portugal ($5,852 per tonne) and Spain ($5,787 per tonne), while Italy ($4,816 per tonne) and the Netherlands ($4,948 per tonne) were amongst the lowest.

From 2008 to 2018, the most notable rate of growth in terms of prices was attained by Germany, while the other leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.

Source: IndexBox AI Platform