The export of salmon eggs for the development of aquaculture in other countries is being carried out by the company Hendrix Genetics from La Araucanía with the support of ProChile, which adds value and incorporates biotechnology in regional shipments. Recently, the regional director of ProChile, Claudia Rojas, made a recent visit to the company's breeding center, where he met with the general manager of Hendrix Genetics Chile, Rodrigo Torrijo.
Salmon roe production is a key component for the aquaculture industry, the second most important export sector in Chile after mining, so the safety and reliability offered by this producer stands out globally.
The company, which has its headquarters in the Netherlands, is known for its development in biotechnology, with continuous genetic improvement of sea trout and salmon, to have fish that grow quickly and have high resistance to diseases. This genetic selection allows these eggs to develop into smolts, which are then transferred to the sea for their adult development, until they reach the necessary weight for harvesting.
The production of embryonated ovas and salmon molts has been carried out in this fish farming of Curarrehue for several decades, but ten years ago it was acquired by Hendrix Genetics, which was directed exclusively to the national market until 2022. In August 2023 they made their first export to Russia and are currently looking at other markets.
“ProChile has greatly facilitated our contact with potential foreign customers in various countries. We have turned our trade effort towards exports and have already visited some potential markets, such as China and South Korea, where ProChile has helped us a lot through contact with its commercial aggregates, which have taken on a very active role, because a key issue in our business is to achieve the approval of health and veterinary authorities in each country that receives this product,” Rodrigo Torijo explained.
Hendrix Genetix manager noted that “our goal is to start exporting to a second market in 2024, we are in discussions with customers from China and South Korea. In the first case, it has been slow work, mainly to meet these health requirements.”
The facilities located in the commune of Curarrehue, which was visited by the regional director of ProChile, offer a very high quality, characterized by the use of highly pure springs, close to the Andes Mountain Range, which has no contact with other uses. “In addition, we produce ova every month of the year. Unlike other producers who do so much more seasonally, we can offer a much more continuous supply during the year,” added Hendrix Genetics manager.
“The advantages of producing in La Araucanía and the reason why we are here is basically the availability of water of very good quality and in the quantity we require. We have good access with paved routes, in addition to the availability of labor that we have been qualifying over the years,” Torijo said.
For the regional director of ProChile, this company is an example of “the high potential of the Araucanía Region to add value to its exports through innovation, scientific research and biotechnological development”.
From the ProChile Regional Office in Temuco, actions are coordinated with the ProChile Commercial Offices in China and South Korea, which allow progress to be made in the technical process to materialize these shipments, explained Claudia Rojas, in coordination with other public bodies, such as Sernapesca.
