Last year the sector captured 4.9 million tons of anchovy, 14% more than in the 2020. How much did your indirect human consumption (CHI) business grow?
It’s
been a good year; we have had above average volumes and prices have kept. Last
year, CHI's sales grew more than 30% because initial inventories of fishmeal
and fish oil were higher than those of 2020. For example, the initial flour
inventory was 47,000 tons, compared to the 26,000 tons from the year 2020.
Did the direct human consumption (DHC) business also grow?
No. Our
frozen business did meet the budget; but sales in the canned fish, where we
have our Campomar brand, fell 13% and has not made a profit. This business has
been affected by the worldwide increase in the cost of supplies, such as
tinplate and soybean oil. The problem is that the sales price is in soles
(Peruvian currency) and most costs are in dollars. We were only able to pass on
part of the costs to the consumer. We're evaluating what changes to make in the
business to make it profitable; but we still don't have the solution.
After the good results of 2021, have you decided to resume your investment plans in new boats or plants?
We have a capex of US$14 million, but it is focused on ensuring operational capacity; not in new plants or vessels. In the next two or three years we would begin to evaluate this topic. Now we are focused on reducing the debt.
How much was your debt reduced?
Last year US$11 million was paid and this has allowed us to achieve a debt/ebitda ratio of 1.8x; in 2020 it was 2.7x. We are below the level of indebtedness of the sector. Our goal is to maintain a ratio between 1.5x and 2x.
How much do you estimate to grow in 2022?
In 2021
we closed with US$291 million in sales, compared to US$238 million we billed in
2020, mainly due to higher initial inventories. Our profits were also 8.3%
higher. We hope that the whole year has a good level of activity, a good fee.
The first season could have a share of 2.5 million tons and the annual quota
could reach 4 million. We should have a good year but not as much as in 2021.
This year we project to sell less than in 2021.
Source:
https://semanaeconomica.com/sectores-empresas/pesca/hayduk-deberiamos-tener-un-ano-bueno-pero-no-tanto-como-en-el-2021
