According to a study sponsored by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, the quantity of dried and smoked catfish, tilapia and other types of fish exported from West Africa to the United Kingdom was estimated at over 500 tonnes per year; with a retail value of nearly $20 million.

Nigeria alone exports about 5 tonnes of frozen fish per month (via airfreight). Other major exporting countries are Ghana, the Ivory Coast, Senegal and Cameroon.

However, with stricter regulations on food imported into the US and Europe, Africans are finding it difficult to exploit the million-dollar foreign market for seafood.

This article reveals the secrets of the trade and how you can take advantage.


EU bans all ‘commercial’ consignments of seafood from Africa (and other non-EU countries) from entering the EU region.

This regulation has seriously reduced the volume of smoked fish that can be exported to Europe.

However, ‘personal’ exports are still allowed. Personal exports are small quantities of seafood (not more than 20kg in total weight).

This regulation is designed to prevent wholesale export of seafood to Europe. ‘Personal export’ includes consignments that are 20kg (or less) and may be carried as hand luggage while travelling.

It can also be sent (by mail or freight) directly to private addresses and named individuals in the EU for personal consumption only. Any exports to registered businesses in the EU or export quantities beyond the 20kg limit will not be allowed and will be seized and/or destroyed at EU ports.

This new policy has essentially killed seafood wholesale businesses in Europe who are presently unable to legally import commercial quantities of these products into the EU. This presents a huge opportunity to small African businesses interested in exporting smoked fish to Europe.

Export sizes are now much smaller (limited to 20kg) and can be sold directly to individuals in Europe. Your exports could be posted to target customers via airfreight, and should get to them within 24 hours.

You could sell directly to persons visiting Africa on business or holidays and send it over to them (via airfreight) on a repeat basis while they are back in Europe.

Exporting the minimum 20kg requirement is favourable to a Smallstarter because it significantly reduces the business risk involved.

This reduced quantity has reduced the amount of capital needed to start this business and allows you to sell directly to the consumers at retail prices (which greatly increases the profit potential).

Note: The European Union regulations governing food and beverage imports are constantly changing. To remain updated on the rules, you should make it a habit to check out the Fishery Products Import section of the UK Food Standards Agency.



How to export Seafood to the United States

Seafood export unlike Europe, it is still possible to export commercial quantities of seafood to the USA, another huge market for the product.

However, following the passing of the Bioterrorism Act of 2002, ‘all facilities that manufacture, process, pack, or store food, beverages, or dietary supplements that may be consumed in the United States by humans or animals are required to be registered with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).’

The registration process is likely to include an inspection of the facility where your seafood is packaged. Companies located outside the United States must choose a US Agent who will be responsible for communicating with the FDA and handle any necessary paperwork.

Having a Certificate of Registration assures customers and suppliers that you have complied with all FDA regulations.

Registrar Corp is a good place to start your journey if you’re interested in supplying to the US market. They have food safety experts trained in FDA inspections who can offer experienced advice and help you get prepared to gain FDA approval.

Because the rules around importing food to the US change from time to time, it’s always a great idea to be on top of the most current information.

During the course of our research for this article, we came across a couple of good resources and give our top three recommendations as follows:

Express Guidelines for Importing Food to the United States – This is a very detailed resource on the DHL website. It contains a lot of stuff you’ll be interested in if you intend to export food stuff to the US.
Importing Food for Commercial Sale (Resale) is another great resource on the website of the US Customs and Border Protection. New alerts are issued on the site from time to time.
Rules, Regulations and Procedures for importing food to the United States – Although this document originated from the Kabul Embassy in Afghanistan, it contains a lot of detail on the subject. It’s a 7-page PDF document and should take you less than 5 minutes to read. However, we noticed a lot of the links on the document are quite dead.

Are you interested in exporting seafood and need a supplier? Contact me via 09091772274 and if you need for a restaurant and events, contact that number too.. Prawns, Shrimps, Fish, Crabs etc