A 24 percent decrease has been recorded in the amount of fish exported from the Maldives.
According to the Quarterly Economic Bulletin issued by the central bank, Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA), the volume of fish exports declined by 24 percent (6,540.8 metric tonnes) in the last quarter of 2021 when compared with the same period in the year before that, and totaled 20,685.4 metric tonnes.
MMA said the fall in the volume of fish exports primarily reflected the decrease in the export of frozen skipjack tuna (-31 percent) and frozen yellowfin tuna (-46 percent), despite increases in fresh or chilled yellowfin tuna (41 percent) and canned or pouched tuna (41 percent).
Despite the decline in fish exports, during the last quarter of 2021, fish purchases totaled 23,874.4 metric tonnes, observing a marginal increase in annual terms. The report said the marginal increase in fish purchases in the last quarter was driven by the 18 percent increase in the purchase of skipjack tuna, which offset the 39 percent decline in yellowfin tuna purchases.
