José Antonio Camposano
President, National Chamber of Aquaculture (CNA)
Ecuador’s shrimp industry began in 1970, and after 40 years of production and exporting, the latest figures point exports of around $1.3 billion to more than 45 countries. Around half of these exports go to almost all of the 27 EU countries, while about 40% goes to the US. One of the main markets developing rapidly for us is Asia. This may be due in large part to the so-called early mortality syndrome (EMS), which is a major problem impacting that region’s aquaculture industry. By the end of 2012, Asia represented 15% of our total exports, and from January to April 2013 the figure had reached 21%. We have very low-density production; we put about six to eight shrimp larvae in a cubic meter of water, whereas in Asia the number rises to 150 in the same amount of water. We are very environmentally aware, having reduced the number of larvae following widespread disease that damaged production in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In general, Asia and certain Latin-American countries experience serious hygiene problems that we do not. We have foreign investors in the shrimp feed sector. But it is not just a matter of bringing capital, but also knowledge to strengthen our industry. In the case of animal nutrition, it is crucial that we find better forms of nutrition to help the shrimp resist disease. In this regard, animal nutrition is focusing on replacing animal sourced protein to vegetable source protein. We have many opportunities in this area.
Gustavo Wray
General Manager, Agripac
Agripac started 40 years ago as a distributor of chemicals for the agricultural sector. The key is quality products, which we first imported from England and were specialized products not present in the country. Over the years, Agripac has tried to sell a complete package to the producers, which includes quality seeds, fertilizers, as well as all the different products to complete a package for bananas, cocoa, or any of the key products that Ecuador produces. In the beginning, Agripac focused more on maize, rice, and bananas; however, the company has grown and moved into different sectors and specialized local and international people in different areas. The main areas we are in are what we call ciclo corto, which is maize and rice, then bananas. The other area is shrimp. Agripac bought a feed manufacturing plant to produce shrimp and chicken feed. We bought that factory seven years ago. Seven years ago, it produced 30,000 bags of feed per month and in 2012 the average was 220,000 bags. In regards to money, six or seven years ago we sold approximately $3 million, and in 2012 we sold approximately $50 million in chicken and shrimp feed. Also, we started making dog and cat food.
Gad Goldstein
President, Gad Goldstein
We work in three main segments. One of them is fertilizers; we are importers, processors, and distributors for NPK fertilizers and for agricultural fertilizers and hold about 25% of the market. We move around 150,000 tons of fertilizer every year. This is our core business, and, through our trading network, we started to do the same for other commodities, such as wheat. We service the wheat market in terms of flour mills and feed mill plants for cattle, poultry, and other types of livestock. We have a 35% market share in that business. We also have two ports in order to receive all of the commodities that we handle, with proper storage. One of the ports, Ecuagran, handles our food division and the other port, Storeecean, handles incoming and outgoing goods to and from the Galápagos Islands. In fertilizers, we have developed a line for domestic use for gardens and lawns. It is sold in supermarkets, a segment of the market that needed attention. In terms of technology and R&D, we speak with farmers, end-users, and our entire clientéle. Our team of technicians utilizes updated equipment, including GPS, to conduct soil analysis on site, and they can even map out a farmer’s land through satellite technology and identify which soils are NPK deficient in order to assess what fertilizers should be used.
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
You may also be interested in...
ECUADOR - Energy & Mining
Gonzalo Uquillas Vallejo
Interview
General Manager, Electric Corporation of Ecuador (CELEC EP)
ECUADOR - Real Estate & Construction
Tommy Schwarzkopf
Interview
Founder, Principal, & CEO, Uribe Schwarzkopf
