Crustaceans: Three products from a promising market
In terms of consumption, crustaceans are popularly understood as a group of marine beings composed of crabs, lobsters, shrimp and crabs, which are popular in Brazilian cuisine, as they make up numerous national dishes, from the simplest to the most sophisticated. This characteristic, together with technology, were essential to boost the productivity of this genre, whose production is very present in the northeast of the country.
Within it, the highlight goes to the production of shrimp. Shrimp farming grew by 18% in 2018, according to the Brazilian Association of Shrimp Producers (ABCC), and generated R$ 3 billion for the national industry from 77 thousand tons in the aforementioned year. The trend of increased production is also expected for the following years, which generates positive expectations regarding the export of the product, mainly due to the search for healthier foods.
Unlike shrimp, lobster has a strong share in the foreign market. In 2018, 3.5 thousand tons were sold around the world, which yielded approximately US$ 70 million, most of which to the United States, China and Australia, mainly due to the nobility of their meat.
Another product that, surprisingly, is highly appreciated by the meat is the soft crab, which even surpasses the consumption price of lobster in some countries that export the product, such as the United States. The animal's high reproducibility guarantees high productivity, despite a still timid export in recent years, not exceeding US$ 1 million, and poorly developed infrastructure and logistics for breeding.
Thus, the versatility of crustaceans guarantees their wide use in gastronomy. Most of the production is still destined for the domestic market, but the qualities of these products and the forecasts of productive growth create an attractive future scenario for exports, which can be well explored with information about the potential markets in the field.
By Arthur Rodrigues on 01/20/2020
Sources: