The ability to adapt to new sales channels and to innovate in a highly competitive market has been key to allowing the Galician canning sector to continue to lead the international market. 

According to the National Association of Manufacturers of Canned Fish (Anfaco – Cecopesca in Spanish), The Autonomous Community of Galicia has the largest activity in Spain. “both in terms of the number of companies and exports, as well as the jobs created”, generating 13,200 direct jobs, 66% of which are held by women.  

In this context, and with the production contribution of the Galician canning industry, Spain remains the largest exporter in Europe and the second-largest producer worldwide of prepared fish and seafood products and preserves.

Exports 

Galicia's leadership is growing stronger, and in 2021 it will achieve 88% of national turnover and the production of 330,429 tons, valued at over 1.65 billion euros. Of these figures, international sales, which increased by 0.32% in value, reached 1.132 billion euros for 225,571 tons of canned fish, 59% of which were tuna.

With a presence in 142 countries, the sector's main markets are concentrated in Europe, especially Italy, France, Portugal, and the Netherlands.

Circular industry

Like other production sectors, the canning sector is also committed to innovation and sustainability in its development model. For this reason, it participates in projects such as Conserval, an initiative that Cetaqua has been promoting since 2019 in Galicia and northern Portugal to “boost the modernisation of the canning industry through the use of waste”. 

Its main objective is the recovery of by-products through the transformation of solid and liquid streams into volatile fatty acids, fish oils with a high Omega-3 content, or protein hydrolysates. 

For the Xunta, Conserval is a clear example of public-private collaboration, with the participation of Anfaco-Cecopesca, the National Association of Canned Fish Industries, and Portugal, the universities of Oporto, Santiago de Compostela, and Feuga. The Regional Minister of the Sea, Rosa Quintana, expressed her opinion on the subject, stating that initiatives such as this “are a point of reference in the management of company-university relations, in the promotion and execution of collaborative projects, and in the implementation of business innovation”.

Strategic Plan

In order to guarantee the sustainable growth of companies, the Galician Government is working to draw up a strategic plan for the canning industry that will outline the path to follow until 2030, in the areas of production and marketing, innovation, and the environment.

It is an open plan, drawn up in collaboration with Anfaco-Cecopesca, which will stress the importance of continuing to promote the internationalisation of the sector.

In its commitment to continue strengthening the industry, the regional government made 19 million euros in support available to the processing sector to improve the facilities of small and medium-sized canning companies, for which around 100 applications have been submitted.