Rehabilitation and Development of the Seafood Processing Industry in Rio Grande and Mar del Plata
Background
Latin America produces more fish per capita than any other region of the world, and Latin Americans remain among the lowest consumers of fish. Regional demand for fish is rising, as is demand on the global market for the region’s fish. The main problems afflicting the sector at the project’s inception were poor market awareness and consequently poor adaptation of their fish products to market expectations and opportunities.
To reverse this disparity and to take advantage of rising demand, this project assisted fish producers in the Rio Grande area of Brazil and the Mar del Plat of Argentina to expand production and marketing capacity to help reach regional and international markets.
The three-year (1999–2002) project helped beneficiary companies create investment programs to develop high-quality, value-added products, and to implement quality-control systems to ensure the products competitiveness on the international markets. Specific measures included identification of market possibilities; product development according to market possibilities and expectations; and investment in the modernization of plants. Successful strategies, actions and lessons learned were collected, appraised, published and presented in regional information dissemination workshops in both cities and other international industry events.
Value-Added Products
INFOPESCA officers began by studying an in-depth FAO analysis of a similar value-added fish product development in other regions.
To develop value-added products, INFOPESCA’s market research program, focusing on the regional market, collaborated with producers, quality control and fish processing experts. They came up with 5 value-added products: frozen breaded shrimp, frozen breaded filets, frozen and breaded minced pre-formed fish (fish sticks, “hamburgers”, etc.); frozen breaded fish balls; and seafood soup.
In March 2000, 6 tons of frozen breaded fish balls, and 4.5 tons of frozen breaded filets were sold by Furtado to supermarkets and catering services in Rio Grande State. An economic feasibility study of this production was prepared, showing how producers might use the experiences of the beneficiary companies.
Quality Control Systems
To assist enterprises in the implementation of quality control systems in their plants, INFOPESCA experts first made a survey of existing conditions in Mar del Plata fish processing plants in 1999. Surveying was followed by a training of nine plant staff members and two national inspection service officials, and then a motivation and training session for 241 plant workers from six participating companies occurred in 2001.
In Rio Grande, INFOPESCA experts held separate courses to train quality control staff at the two participating plants – Torquato Pontes (1999) and Furtado (1999-2000), with new HACCP plans for each new product. In addition, 120 workers at both plants were trained in a motivation session.
Investment Programs
To maximize gains through the addition of the new value-added products attractive, investment plans were drawn up specifically tailored to the needs and capacity of each company in both regions (2001 –2002).
Information Dissemination
In December, 2001, INFOPESCA published the Manual of Value-Added Products. This manual was distributed at dissemination seminars in Puerto Madryn and Mar del Plata, and in the fifth meeting of fisheries technologists in Punta del Este.
Lessons Learned
Development lessons from the implementation include clear evidence that a strong marketing strategy is necessary to successfullt introduce new products into the markets.
Operational lessons
This project was designed to take two years to implement, but instead took three, thoughwithout any additional cost..Many of the experts involved in the project worked during the additional year without compensation from the project budget as they had embraced the project’s goals and felt it would be effective.
Conclusion
Altogether, the project proved successful in its principal goal of developing new value-added products, and in training plant staff to prepare them according to quality control guidelines. Thus, the new products were promoted and sold in newly accessed regional and international markets.
The project was unfortunately hindered by the Argentine financial crisis that occurred during its implementation. This severely constrained the further development of value-added products by the participating companies in Argentina. Additionally due to the recession, the Argentine population purchased fewer fish products.
Nevertheless, the project yielded a growing multiple dividend: participating companies as well as fishery sectors, including smallholder fishermen, generally benefited from expanded market opportunities. . Less advanced companies benefited the most.
The value-added products met international quality standards, and were processed in an environmentally friendly manner. Training of factory workers, both women and men, had a positive social impactas newly learned concepts of hygiene were passed onto their families. Indeed, this was the first time in the Latin American region that these high levels of quality control trainings were directly taught to workers.
Project documents:
Desarollo de productos pesqueros de valor agregado - PART 1
Desarollo de productos pesqueros de valor agregado - PART 2
Desarollo de productos pesqueros de valor agregado - PART 3
Desarollo de productos pesqueros de valor agregado - PART 4
