Lees meer over onze missie
01 March 2010
Pangasius, a Vietnamese farmed fish, has been developed to one of the major export products of Vietnam in the last few years. This fish is consumed all over the world and each day dozens of containers loaded with Pangasius are leaving the ports of Vietnam to be distributed globally. The popularity of this fish is partly caused by the fact that it’s rather cheap and available in supermarkets.
The European and American markets are very interesting for the various Vietnamese Pangasius farmers. Because enormous volumes are being farmed, there might be a danger of bad quality; however we only deal with carefully selected farmers on which our quality managers in Vietnam will conduct inspections on the product before shipping out. That way we can guarantee the desired quality.
End of last year, we received information that the demand for Pangasius was increasing. This was caused by the fact that the stocks in Europe and the USA were declining and the importers needed to place more orders. This increased demand, caused rising of the prices of raw material. We informed our customers timely so they could purchase at a lower price and that their products were delivered to them at a price which is lower than the current market price. The products that were purchased in December are currently shipped and delivered to our customers. Given the fact that the information has become reality and the prices have increased, then our customers have a huge price difference advantage. Taken into consideration that the exchange rate of the US$ vs. € has improved and that the freight rates have increased, this price level will increase all over the world.
So now it’s a very good moment to anticipate at the current developments and place the order for Pangasius.
07 January 2010
For the import of wild caught (deepfrozen) fish in Europe, product will have to be accompanied by a catching certificate as of the first of January 2010. This certificate will have to state that the product has not been caught illegally. Fresh water fish and shell fish are excluded from the new regulation; nevertheless, wild caught shrimps do need a catching certificate.
The certificate will have to be issued by the authorized authority in the country of origin. To be able to trace the products catching method the certificate needs to stay with the product at all times.
Who checks?
In principle this is a documents audit, and will have to be checked by the customs authority.
Further audits could occur on the basis of a risk analysis. In the Netherlands, this would be done by VWA (health authority). Different audits could be; inquiry at the exporting country or physical checks of the products.
Due to the fact that the catching certificate will have to be issued simultaneously with the general documents (health certificate), it would be wise to have the documents at least three days prior to arrival of the products at the port of destination. If the documents arrive later, the importer might face delays. In the IUU regulations, there is a term of three days for registration of catching certificates. This gives the authorities the possibility to inquire additional information from the third country, prior to the arrival of the goods.
Catches before 1 January 2010
Catches before the first of January 2010 do not need a catching certificate. The importer will have to prove that the product have been caught before 2010. Most reliable is a declaration from the authorities of the country of origin, possibly with a notation in the health certificate. If this is not possible, other documents out of the administration could provide clarity.
26 November 2009
Octopus is a product that used to be consumed in the Southern countries of Europe, but this tasty squid species is getting more and more popular in the other European countries.
Octopus used to be caught in the 90’s in South-Europe and the African countries located at the Mediterranean Sea. Nowadays there are more territories from which the product is being offered.
Until 2 years ago, the prices were constantly increasing, partly by the increasing demand for this popular product.
But since the end of last year, it is noticed that prices are strongly decreasing. For example the prices of the Maroc octopus (being considered as one of the best quality octopus) have decreased over 30% in the last year.
Until a few years ago, octopus from the Far East and South-America was of inferior quality compared with the European and African products, but lately there’s more supply from these areas at a good quality with a very well price/quality comparison.
FROCONSUR can offer very competitive prices from Maroc and Mauritania. But lately we are getting more and more enthusiastic customers for our products from Tanzania, Indonesia and Vietnam.
We are obtaining Octopus from these countries at a very high quality which is not treated with additions so that the taste, structure and efficiency is best. And…. the prices of these products are even significantly lower than the products from Africa while the quality is excellent!
So once again, it is a very interesting time to have a look at these products.
1 october 2009
Squid – prices are increasing and availability gets tough, still China is the best option
Due to several circumstances, the availability of Squid (Bartrami, Todarodes Pacificus and Illex Argentinus), is much less compared with last year. For Bartrami, the catching is very disappointing this year, resulting in available volumes of less than 10% compared with normal annual catches. Because of the small volumes available and the existing demand, the prices are already increasing.
For the Todarodes Pacificus (especially large size to produce tubes U/5) the availability is also difficult. Due to the mainland needs in China (for Chinese Holiday early October) it is very hard to insert only one size of tubes into a 40ft container. Expectations are that prices will increase instead of decrease (also due to increased freight costs). Only later in October/early November bigger sizes are expected to become more available. This is expected to have a downwards effect on the price.
Even with the availability getting more tough (and increasing prices), still our Spanish customers that normally tend to buy the Squid in South America indicate that the prices we receive from China are much better than the prices they receive from South America. They normally buy the Illex Argentinus, but the catches of this product in the spring of 2009 were also very disappointing. Therefore they changed their focus onto the Chinese squid. So based on these information, Chinese squid is the best option at the moment.
For end of October/early November, a lot of fishing ships will get back to the mainland with their catches. It is expected that those fishing boats will bring in about 40-50% of the total of the year 2009 so that the supply by then will be better. Keep in mind that the majority of these quantities have already been pre-contracted because importers from around the world have taken their strategic positions. Under normal circumstances, the pricing is expected to stabilise at the current level after this period. The information we receive from our contacts throughout whole Asia doesn’t indicate the situation will change within the next few weeks, therefore to secure your quantities and be sure to receive the correct quality, it is wise to place your order now for the squid.
22 july 2009
Child at Venture and Froconsur use money, knowledge and their network to help African entrepreneurs.
Amsterdam - 22 July 2009 – Child at Venture, a NGO which helps young adults in developing countries to become entrepreneurs and the Dutch Froconsur, a wholesaler in deep-frozen species of fish, will help Kenyan entrepreneurs set up their business.
The cooperation exists of ‘adopting’ a business in Kenya by Froconsur. The young Kenyans have been trained in entrepreneurship by Child at Venture. Froconsur adopts a so called ‘Safe Space’, a location where multiple entrepreneurs can start their business. A ‘Safe Space’ is a safe and central place where Kenyan teenage moms, whom are vulnerable and due to poverty become victim of exploitation and prostitution, can start their own restaurant. At the same time, the space, which is located in Kisumu, the main city in West Kenya, will be used by hairdressers and tailors.
Froconsur supports the Kenyan initiative for 18 months and will help the entrepreneurs both financially and by sharing experience and knowledge on how to set up a company. By this a unique situation will come into existence between the experienced organisation Froconsur and the young Kenyan ladies.
Due to limited possibilities of education and a high level of unemployment in developing countries, young adults often lack a prosperous perspective. As a result, they are vulnerable for criminality and exploitation. Entrepreneurship offers these young adults a good alternative. Child at Venture trains, finances and guides these young entrepreneurs with the help of the Dutch businesses.
Jamy Goewie, founder and director of Child at Venture: “With the slogan Entrepreneurs for Entrepreneurs we offer an exclusive process which is for both parties interesting, informative and unique. The professional party offers knowledge and experience by starting a business, while the young entrepreneurs experience themselves what it is to do business in a developing country on micro level. For the young entrepreneurs it is a great way to receive support from an existing company. We and the Kenyan entrepreneurs look forward to the cooperation with Froconsur”.
André Papa, director of Froconsur: “This form of support is concrete and direct and that appeals to us. To help young entrepreneurs to build up their own company is the way to work result driven and matches our method of working. We have chosen specifically for Kenya as we have existing business contacts with fishers of Lake Victoria and with this project we will contribute on a small-scale level.”
21 July 2009
BLACK TIGER PRICES WILL BE HIGH THIS SEASON!
As we already forecasted for this year, black tiger prices are higher (in USD as previous years).
Main reasons are:
- a lot of farmers stopped growing shrimps and changed to rice again as it is less risky and giving more profit in the last few years.
- a lot of countries are focussing more on Vannamei instead of Black Tigers (Thailand, Indonesië, Malaysia). Reason is that the risk on Vannamei is lower and the profit better.
- typhoons in Bangladesh have destroyed a lot of ponds.
Especially the small sizes will be at very high prices this year. Main reason is that most farmers try to grow bigger shrimps in order not to compete with Vannamei (as Vannamei is mainly small sizes and far cheaper). When peak season starts (August) we can definitely supply to you the best seasonal prices for the big sizes (8/12 up to 16/20).
For the smaller sizes we have a very good alternative, being VANNAMEI of dark colour, packed at the same specifications as BLACK TIGERS. We can assure you rockbottom prices!
In case of interest for any further info, pictures, prices, etc., please contact us!!