SANA'A – Yemen fish exports during the first half of 2012, including the 18,000 tons of fresh fish, with a value of $65 million, represented 20 percent of exports, the Ministry of Fisheries report said recently. There were 31,000 tons of frozen fish shipped, representing 51 percent of exports worth $55 million. Another 7,000 tons of squid were worth $17 million. The remaining percentage was composed of other fish, the ministry said. "Yemeni fish and seafood are well known for their high quality, which has increased demand throughout Arab countries and the rest of the world," said Nabil Al-Kawni, an engineer who is director of quality control for the Ministry of Fisheries. "The amount of fish and other seafood that were exported during the first half of 2012 reached 62,000 tons with a value of $150 million." "Seafood was exported to 24 countries, the most important of which is Saudi Arabia, which imported 19,000 tons of Yemen's total exports," Al-Kawni was quoted by Al-Shorfa online as saying. Al-Kawni said specialized processing and canning centers should be established at Yemeni export outlets, especially outlets on land, instead of exporting seafood products as raw material. This would increase the value and the price of seafood products in Yemen. At present, "most of these products are exported as raw material (fresh and frozen fish), and the country is losing a great deal of money on its value," he said. "The value of these exported products could increase substantially if the bulk of it were processed before being exported." Dr. Taha Al-Fasil, an economist at Sana'a University, said Yemen's seafood exports contribute to diversifying the nation's export sector and supporting the balance of payments. "Yemen primarily exports oil, followed by agricultural products such as fruits and vegetables and then seafood, so the latter constitutes one of the sources of national income and plays a significant role in employing a large segment of the workforce," he said. Yemeni seafood has a reputation for high quality, especially tuna fish that is highly valued among neighboring Arabian Gulf countries. Yemen also produces shellfish and mollusks that are more expensive and thus more profitable to the national economy. The Yemeni coastline stretches over 2,500 kilometers. There are an estimated 74,000 fishermen who work in 130 fishing co-operatives that own 21,000 fishing boats, according to Jamal Rajaa, an engineer and director of the Ministry of Fisheries' information centre. He said fish cooperatives produce 98 percent of the total catch. Rajaa further said the fisheries sector in Yemen includes the traditional and industrial fishing sectors as well as aquaculture and tuna processing. – SG
