With 233.2% up, jumbo flying squid has been the fishery product that has led the ranking of growth in value of Peruvian exports.
Photo: Produce.
The good results of the Peruvian fishing sector in 2025 continue. According to the information provided by Peru's Ministry of Production (Produce), from January to May, the value of the country's fisheries exports amounted to USD 2,046 million FOB (Free On Board), which meant a 54.1% year-on-year growth.
From Produce, it was claimed that these good figures have been driven by both exports of products for indirect human consumption and those destined for direct human consumption.
However, the Ministry of Production also noted that during the first five months of 2025, the former, those for indirect human consumption - that is, anchovy for fishmeal and fish oil - reached USD 1.1 billion FOB.
Thus, fishmeal and fish oil exports not only had a significant year-on-year increase of 46.1% in value, but these products alone accounted for 53.8% of the total value exported by the Peruvian fishing sector.
Good results that were already intuited when, in mid-June, IFFO, The Marine Ingredients Organisation, reported that the anchovy season in Peru announced a stable production for 2025 in the South American country, also ensuring the progress of world production this year.
For its part, shipments of fishery products for direct human consumption, which include frozen, canned, cured, and fresh products, totaled USD 946 million FOB, up 64.7% year-on-year.
According to Produce's General Office of Impact Evaluation and Economic Studies, the products that led the growth were jumbo flying squid (+233.2 %), jack mackerel (+85.6 %), and seaweed (+46.2 %), followed by tuna (+39.7 %), prawns (+15.3 %), flying fish eggs (+8.4 %), and trout (+6.2 %).
Just as the good anchovy season has made the difference for products for indirect human consumption, so far in 2025, the jumbo flying squid has been the absolute protagonist in the case of products for direct human consumption.
The abundance of the resource has been such that, earlier this month, shortly after increasing the total allowable catch (TAC) and extending the extraction period due to good prospects, Produce had to suspend jumbo flying squid fishing season to ensure its sustainability, as that extended TAC had been reached in just a few days.
According to the head of Produce, Sergio González Guerrero, the good figures of the different Peruvian fisheries during the first five months of the year led the sector to contribute approximately 6.1% of total exports at the national level, thus consolidating its importance in the country's economy.
"Our country has a generous and species-rich sea, which is why the fishing sector can ship to different parts of the world. In this group are the jumbo flying squid, jack mackerel, tuna and trout, which lead exports," said Minister González.
Regarding the destination of Peruvian fisheries exports, as we recently saw with Norwegian salmon exports, between January and May 2025, China was the country that consolidated its position as the main buyer. With a 52.0% share of the total value exported, USD 1,064 million FOB, in the case of Peru, Chinese imports focused mainly on fishmeal and frozen jumbo flying squid.
After the Asian giant, South Korea, with a share of 6.9% of the total value of exports - USD 141 million - and the United States, with USD 133 million, this is 6.5% of the total, were also important markets, in their case, for products with higher added value, such as frozen and canned products.
