WARSAW: Polish fish processor Seko reported record revenues of more than PLN 152 million (€36.5 million) for 2016, up 7% compared with a year earlier, and aims to continue its investments to raise the output capacity of its fish processing plant in Chojnice, according to senior company representatives.
Last year, Seko invested more than PLN 5 million (€1.2 million) with the aim to expand its processing capacity.
“Owing to the implemented investments, we were able to further automatism the production processes at our plant and ensure they are cost-effective,” Kazimierz Kustra, the company’s chief executive said.
In 2016, Seko sold about 14,800 tons of various processed fish products. About 90% of its revenues were generated in the Polish market, with the remaining 10% reported in export sales. Germany is the company’s main foreign market, accounting for as much as 41% of the company’s export sales for 2016. Seko’s other major export markets include the UK, France, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
The company is also making efforts to expand to other countries.
The Polish firm specializes in processing salmon, herring, tuna and mackerel and, according to the company’s chief executive, Seko is planning to carry out further investments at its plant this year – including purchasing new machinery, and modernizing its existing processing equipment.
Kustra said that the company has “ambitious plans for the coming years”, and that it aimed to further strengthen its position “as a leading player in the processed fish market”.
The announcement comes as Poland’s fish and seafood output is on the rise, with some 402,500 tons produced from January to November 2016, up 15.7% year-on-year. In 2016, Polish fish industry players increased their exports to PLN 6.35 billion (€1.52 billion), up 16.2% year-on-year, and sold 247,600 tons of various fish and seafood products to foreign markets, according to data from the state-run Institute of Agricultural and Food Economics.
