Strategies to foster the marketing of aquaculture products developed by Spanish producers

Transcription

1 Strategies to foster the marketing of aquacuture products deveoped by Spanish producers Rosa Jordán L. Marketing of aquacuture products Zaragoza : CIHEAM Cahiers Options Méditerranéennes; n pages Artice avaiabe on ine / Artice disponibe en igne à adresse : To cite this artice / Pour citer cet artice Rosa Jordán L. Strategies to foster the marketing of aquacuture products deveoped by Spanish producers. Marketing of aquacuture products. Zaragoza : CIHEAM, p (Cahiers Options Méditerranéennes; n. 17)

2 Strategies to foster the marketing of aquacuture products deveoped by Spanish producers ROSA JORDAN CULTIVOS PISCICOLAS MARINOS S.A. CTR. CARRACA S/N SAN FERNANDO, CADZ SPA1 N SUMMARY - This presentation aims to anayse, in the case of Spain, strategies and cooperation for Marketing deveopment of Aquacuture products at nationa eve. An anaysis of the probems that arise in the Marketing of Aquacuture Products in Spain are discussed at the same time as the strategies of the Spanish Aquacuture producers are presented. Specia emphasis shoud be devoted to strategies as identification of products through their guarantees of origin, and the deveopment of oca and internationa markets through the adaptation to consumer gastronomic and cocking demands. Finay, the author defends the strategy that Mediterranean Aquacuture producers shoud utiize the concept of "Mediterranean diet" in order to enarge markets. Key words: Aquacuture, Spain, marketing, strategies. RESUME - "Stratégies pour promouvoir a commerciaisation des produits aquacoes déveoppés par es producteurs espagnos". Cette présentation pour a but d'anayser e cas de 'Espagne, en ce qui concerne es stratégies et a coopération visant au déveoppement de a commerciaisation des produits aquacoes à I'échee nationae. Les probèmes qui surgissent dans e cadre de a commerciaisation des produits aquacoes en Espagne sont anaysés et discutés, et en même temps sont présentées es stratégies des producteurs aquacoes espagnos. Une attention spéciae est portée aux stratégies tees que 'identification des produits à travers eur garantie d'origine, et au déveoppement de marchés ocaux et internationaux moyennant 'adaptation aux exigences gastronomiques et cuinaires des consommateurs. Finaement, 'auteur défend a stratégie seon aquee es producteurs aquacoes méditerranéens devraient utiiser e concept de "régime méditerranéen" afin d'éargir eurs marchés. Mots-cés : Aquacuture, Espagne, commerciaisation, stratégies. ACTIONS AIMED TO AQUACULTURE ASSESSMENT AND QUALIFICATION From the very moment these products broke into the market, aquacuture products have had to endure fishing sector's rejection, both a at industria eve and from sma fishers. They misunderstood aquacuture's aims and had a competey wrong viewpoint for they fet it was a new competitor against their activities. The right is aim that aquacuture is a compement to fishing. 171

3 Moreover, aquacuture wi be a ong-term benefit for fishing; as we as it wi be an inteigent poicy to add its image and woud increase the market of products and proteins from a sea source. In this framework, Spanish Aquacuture producers have taken a wide range of measures in order to sensitize pubic opinion of the specia properties that aquacutured products present, as we as of the basic principes upon which these actions are based. Its main goa was that of highrising quaities: - Fresh produce - Size standardization - A continuous market avaiabiity - Suitabe packaging as per each market - Sensiby baanced prices Through the Spanish Government some measures have been taken in order to et out and spread these properties, and we coud metion, as an exampe, some concrete widespread measures, in some species such as: - Trout - Musse - Other oca species. We shoud emphasize that officia operations were not too many, and we need a more be known. ACTIONS AIMED TO IDENTIFY THE PRODUCT To identify the product so that it is not either intencionay or unintentionay confused or mixed up with other simiar products, is considered one of the prioritary tasks. In practice we can too often see that some simiar or competey different species are offered as a githead bream, confusing unexperienced housewives, and providing an are too often used with products coming from industria fishing, and the Authorities in to notice such big frauds and fakes as offering: Githead brem, when in fact it is Common Bream or Red Bream. or Red Surmuet. or Sea Bream. or another kind of sparidus. Sea bass when it is Dicenfrarchus punctafus or muggine 1

4 This fraud is even worse in the. case of fishing, especiay in handed and/or fieted products. We coud make a very ong ist with the products being offered in the market whose market names do not coincide with the species they come from. This usuay consented guie is causing much harm to she sea produce and aquacuture market, and it is growingy becoming necessary that Pubic Associations and Organizations strongy fight these practices in order to confusion and misinterpretation. Aquacuture producers tend to preserve and keep the name and identification of the product. We anyway think that it is Government, especiay oca government that shoud keep watch over the purity of practices so that a that is offered in the market truy fits and corresponds to the species shown in the offer. PROCEEDINGS AND REPORTS AS REGARDS Species - Species - Cassifications - Sizes - Packaging - Continous avaiabiity - Pricing The Aquacuture products being most firmy rooted foows: in the Spanish Market are as - Musse - Trout - Githead Bream - Sea Bass - Turbot - Cams - Oysters - Ees - Prawns Cassifications Each product has deveoped a type of cassification on the basis of a principe, namey on cuturing ways or methods, such as for instance: - Musses cutured at fat-boftorned boats - Musses cutured at ong ines - Trouts from the Pyrenees 173

5 - Deepwater Githead Breams - Sat-pans Githead Bream - White Githead Bream - Back Githead Bream - Sat-pans Sea bass - Deepwater Sea bass - Fine Cams - Semi-fine Cams Sizes Today offers- have been homogenized so that they meet the various market requirements and needs and with the purpose of avoiding confusions as per each producer's cassification. are presented to the market in their: - Big - Medium - Sma Versions. The Githead bream graduay reaches the foowing grades: - Big grs. - Specia grs. -A 200/300 grs. The Sea bass is cassified as: - BIG -A -B grs. grs. grs. In the heart of APROMAR (Association of Producers of Sea Cutures, Spain) market sizes are discussed and adapted with a view to providing a better information to both home and foreign customers. Packaging There are no standardized modes in this sector as it is assumed thathe producer must tacke each individua customer's needs and characteristics. There are many packagings ranging from the 1 Kg. box to the 12 Kg. box and from the rectanguar and square shape varying in height the for ice space to any other different form. The most commony used materia is "expanded poispan" and the heath requirements of the guideines are aways met. 1 74

6 Continuous Avaiabiity Aquacutura products are avaiabe in the different Spanish markets every singe day of the year; this avaiabiity is increased in the times when need is highest and it is sufficienty avaiabe at times when need is ower or when the species captured are more numerous. Sometimes, speciay at times when consumption is ower, market presence means a momentary damage for the producer. But must be stressed that doing so has aowed to increase the market share upon the basis of a constant suppy. Pricing Spain has aways been,a sea products consuming country, its Mediterranean vocation and its fishing tradition have shaped which country. But together with this positive feature, other conditions have made it a very demanding and at the same time popuisf market. Spain consumes approximatey 40 Kg. of fish per person and year. This shows that most Spanish peope consume fish and therefore know about the quaities of fish. It is easytocheckintheofficiasaesstatisticshowdrasticaypricesfuctuate depending on quaity and season and the refection revaiing at the Spanish market is to see how quaity distances itsef from prices. It can be guaranteed that there is a market for very fresh fish, which is very far away from the reasonaby fresh fish and sti further away from the fish coming from industria processes even though considering that its quaity may be acceptabe, in the range of a parae European market. Summing up: In Spain very good fish, which has been fished that very same day is much more worthie than fish of an acceptabe, in the range of a parae European market. I 1 Frozen fish is a separate issue which is not affected by aquacuture yet. IDENTIFICATION THROUGH GUARANTEES ORIGIN A aquacutura products are being sistematicay identified by means of a guarantee of origin. We understand that once the product has been vaued and identified it must be reated to its pace of origin, that is the reason why among others, the foowing terms are appied: 175

7 Musse from Arosa Musse from the Atas Musse from San Caros de a Rapita... Githead bream from a Costa Brava Githead bream from Straits of Gibratar Githead bream from the Mediterranean sea Githead bream cutured at Sat-pans Githead bream from the Atantic sea... Cams from Carri Cams from Hueva Cams cutured at Sat-pans.,... Trouts from Navarre Trouts from the Pyrenees Trouts from Gaicia... To know the guarantee of origin is a quaity, safety and identity factor for consumers. OUTLOOK AND HEALTH CONDITIONS It is essentia to ook after the appearance of the fina product. A rue of a Spanish producers is to set aside those fauty artices avoiding mixing them with good quaity ones. There is a market for deformed products which must never get mixed up with those of standard growth. The boxes are unmistakaby identified. Heath conditions adhere stricty to the EU reguations and the trend is to fish no more product than it is sod or assigned. The above impies that the product which reaches the fina consumer has a high eve of freshness and quaity. Spanish products compy with the mandatory rue that fish shoud not be fed before being fished out. HOME MARKET To adapt them to the home gastronomic specia cooking issues and uses The specia features of the Spanish market makes producers adapt to the pecuiarities 176

8 of the regiona gastronomy which is rich and varied. Preferences as regard to size, time of the year and species are very different among the various Spanish regions. On the other hand, the particuar demand of the Spanish Market to forces fish on a daiy basis in order to satisfy the demands for "very, very fresh" fish. The fishing, transport, packing and ogistics are bigger than in other countries but ony assuming them it is possibe to give an answer to the demands of eitist products. There is a wrong practice which invoves big markets' saturation giving rise to spectacuar price drops. In order to counteract the above mentioned price drops, producers tend to estabish a distribution in networks covering a customer demands, both in the interior and on the coastine. INTERNATIONAL MARKETS Traditiona markets The strategies for the Internationa Markets are diametricay opposed to those for the Home Market. The main countries which consume Spanish aquacutura products are: - France - Itay - Portuga - Germany - Switzerand - The netherands Access to the afore mentioned countries is gained through distributors, encompassing exports to avoid the costs derived from ong distances. Nowadays air transport has amost been withdrawn due to its difficuties and its high costs together with the changes in timetabes, oading and airport probems. The most usua way of transport is by truck New markets both refrigerated and freezer truck. Marketing operations are being carried out in different markets which are potentia customers for the Spanish aquacutura products. It wi be necessary to make big investments in spreading, advertising and marketing, however the first contacts have been positive and we hope that new marketing ines wi be opened in potentiay very interesting countries. NEW TIMES. NEW PROSPECTS The consumers' demand varies according to the country and that is why we must vary our marketing systems and the offer for our finished products. 177

9 Together with the usua presentation of the aquacutura product such as quaity, continuous avaiabiity and price we must introduce new methods of product presentation and preparation. In order to meetnewdemands,spainhasbeguntomarket and presentmany aquacutura products according to the foowing features: Freshness: This traditiona feature biggest percentage in production. is present in a species and accounts for the Frozen: Musses, trouts and samon are mosty presented in this way. Cooked: The new different cooking techniques start to be appied to different species such as musses, ees, trouts, githead bream, sea bass. The quantities are not very significant yet; but a breakthrough has been made in this presentation form. Precooked: This wide range of possibiities has not enough except in some exceptiona cases.. been studied and deveoped Fieted: Low cost species have aready begun to suppy this market. But sti there is a ong way to go unti these products are started on a arge scae into the market. But it is easy to see that a gradua sow but continuous reduction in production costs of the finished species wi ín the short run favour this kind of market. Preserved fish: Except in the case of musses and some other sma experiences, this market is sti to be deveoped. ACQUISITION AND OPENING OF NEW MARKETS Presenty and with a few exceptions most aquacutura products are destined for the catering markets and to high we-off casses with high purchasing power. New markets are being created in the sector of the big supermarket chains. It wi ony be possibe to capture those new markets, both in aready consuming markets and potentia ones, through a guaranteed continuity and homogeneous quaity a through the different seasons. New markets for ess we-off casses are being created thus opening up possibiities for bigger saes as these marketing chains usuay work with narrower margins. The potentia possibiities of food chain are very varied and important. From the above it derives that imagination and quaity of the origina presentation must be paid attention carefuy in order to meet each market or to its requirements. 178

10 MEDITERRANEAN DIET One of the not too expoited resources of the Spanish Aquacuture producers is the right and adequate usetheymakeofthegastronomicformuawideyknownasthe "Mediterranean diet". There are occasions when we have so many facts and evidencies that we are not capabe to use them propery as we ack an integrated poicy, and we are based on the wrong idea that our different knowedge and habits are admitted and we-known in other countries. This is a huge appraisa mistake, and on the one hand it shows incapabiity to compete in a free and aggressive market, and on the other it entais a ack of humiity aiming to cast the exceences of our food habits, which are finay part of our way of iving and refect part of our history. We are in possession of a arguments to start a marketing batte which wi ead us to expoit our habits, our gastronomy and our products. The concept caed the ''Mediterranean diet" currenty entais a way of nourishment. This concept invoves a way of understanding ife through the Mediterranean History in which we have a taken part, on the one part Greece, Itay, France and Spain, and on the other part, the coast countries of Northern Africa, Portuga and Turkey. If we do not use the concept known as the "Mediterranean diet", we are renouncing the biggest and best marketing way we have to increase the consumption of our aquacuture products. We can aso verify that various officia organizations from a over the word find "Mediterranean diet" more worthwhie than we ourseves do. Both its heath - physica and menta - properties and gastronomic aspects are widey known and reckoned by other countries more enthusiasticay than we do in those countries who have created that mediterranean cuture. If we are unabe to take benefit of that favourabe situation 1 we are in, we sha be arrogant and vain, and we sha be the ony ones responsibe for our future. We must know how to se aquacuture products grown in the Mediterranean area not ony in the Mediterranean countries, but aso in other word markets. The "Mediterranean diet" card shoud open up new markets and habits which are currenty cosed to our products. I'd not ike to put an end to my contribution before I sterny warn the Pubic Authorities and the aquacutura sector in Greece, Itay, France and Spain, that we sha be responsibe for it, if we do not start working seriousy in view of this attractive and suggesting project which can be framed within the concept of "Mediterranean diet". 179