The ASMAK International Fish Farming Company is expanding its retail operations in the Gulf region.

Complementing its bid to extend its international reach by exporting freshly farmed fish to North America, reports JOEL CEAUSU.
To established a regional sales network the four-year-old Abu Dhabi-based company already has four retails outlets in the United Arab Emirates, and it has plans to open one in Oman and at least another two in the UAE by year’s end, along with a significant increase in rolling stock.
The development follows the unveiling of further details of an agreement secured at the European Seafood Exhibition in Brussels in spring, where the company signed a deal worth US$1,6 million to export fresh fish to Canada and the United States.
Asmak already serves several overseas markets and has a 10-year managment services agreement with Athens-based firm Nireus. Sixty-five per cent of Asmak’s production is for export.
The new contract with Montreal-based Solgeco calls for the annual export of 250 tonnes of fresh fish to be harvested daily and made available to North American customers the next day.
“Our ability deliver fresh, high quality fish to all parts of the world in one day generated a lot of interest and was also the main factor in securing this deal,” said chairman Mohamed Al-Muhairy.
“Seabream and Seabass have proved to be very popular in the Canadian and US markets,” Hagop Kassabian marketing manager said, “and we are expected to see demand for them growing at a rapid pace.”
Asmak is also investing over $ 16 million to integrate projects ranging from developing distribution and marketing networks to manufacturing fishing equipment.