The authors paper analyse changes of the Lithuanian foreign trade in fishery products, the development of exports and imports, the main foreign trade partners and their change over time, the structure of exports and imports by countries and products. On the basis of the UN comtrade database the indicators of the Lithuanian foreign trade in fishery products - the share of the Lithuanian exports in the total EU exports and the share of the Lithuanian exports to the EU in the total EU imports - are estimated. These indicators are compared with the corresponding indicators of the other EU member states. The international markets where the Lithuanian fish processing industry would be able to develop exports are distinguished.
The analysis of the Lithuanian foreign trade in fishery products indicates that during the period 2002-2008 the growth of exports of fishery products was more rapid than the growth of imports. The EU became the main trade partner of Lithuania. The Lithuanian fish processing companies mostly imported raw fish, used this raw fish to produce high value-added fishery products and exported these products. The indicators of the Lithuanian foreign trade in fishery products - the share of the Lithuanian exports in the total EU exports and the share of the Lithuanian exports to the EU in the total EU imports - are low compared with the corresponding indices of the other EU member states. However, according to these indices Lithuania exceeded Latvia and Estonia. When the total EU exports and imports of fishery products increased every year, the share of the Lithuanian exports in the total EU exports and the share of the Lithuanian exports to the EU in the total EU imports increased steadily. The dynamics of change of these indices proves an increase of the competitiveness of Lithuanian fishery products in the international markets. The Lithuanian fish processors, by expanding exports, have larger possibilities to enhance their positions in the common market of the EU.
Key words: fishery products, foreign trade, exports, competitiveness, international markets.
Eičaitė, O.; Motova, A. Lietuvos užsienio prekybos žuvų produktais tendencijos // Žemės ūkio mokslai, 2009. T. 16. Nr. 3-4. p. 185-194, ISSN 1392-0200 (EBSCO, Central & Eastern European Academic Source, CAB Abstracts).
