Monetary Authority of Maldives (MMA) has revealed that 76,099MT of fish were exported in 2022.
According to statistics published by MMA, the Maldives exported 76,099MT of fish last year which is a 1% decrease compared to the 76,890MT exported in 2021. The Maldives exported the largest amount of frozen fish last year. Last year, 65,576.3MT of fish were exported, of which 55,551 MT was frozen skipjack tuna and 9,529MT of frozen yellowfin tuna. In addition, canned fish exports from the Maldives last year also increased. As such, 8439.6MT of canned fish was exported which is a 7.35% increase compared to the 7861.2MT in 2021.
The statistics stated that the highest fish exports last year were in December. The Maldives exported 10,734MT of fish in December last year which is a 68.3% increase compared to 6,376MT exported in December 2021. The increase in fish exports in December was due to an increase in frozen fish exports. As such, 9,967MT of frozen fish were exported in December, according to the statistics.
The statistics also stated that the amount of fish purchased by Maldivian fish processing companies last year was lower than in 2021. Companies purchased 81,033MT of fish last year which is a 8.2% decrease compared to the amount of fish purchased in 2021. The main reason is due to decreased yellowfin tuna purchases during the period and the purchase of skipjack tuna also decreased by 3.6%.