How to Use Country Market Pages Before an Aquaculture or Seafood RFQ: Evidence, Estimates and Open Checks
Short answer: a country page tells you where to start, not what to buy. Separate three kinds of content — sourced facts with a date (trade data, official production figures, named authorities), planning estimates (calculator presets and indicative bands) and open checks (permits, plant listings, local tariffs) — then confirm the open checks with the competent authority and replace every estimate with your own inputs before you send a request.
FishMatch Group editorial team · Sources checked
Which country page answers which question
Country information on the site is split by the decision it supports, so one country can have several pages. Start from the question you need answered.
| Your question | Page type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| What do aquaculture projects in this country buy, and what is produced there? | Country market page | /markets/brazil |
| What would a farm of my size cost with local inputs? | Country farm cost calculator | /farm-cost-calculator/en/brazil |
| Which authorities and permits apply? | Country compliance guide | /knowledge/compliance/brazil |
| What does the country import or export, by product? | Seafood trade data and buyer-market pages | /seafood-trade-data, /markets/seafood-buyers/japan |
| Short answers before a call | Country buyer FAQ | /market-faq/brazil |
Sort what you read into three boxes
Every statement on a country page belongs in one of three boxes. Mixing them up is the most common reason an RFQ goes out with the wrong assumptions.
- Sourced facts: a number or rule with a named source and a date — for example official production statistics, customs trade values or the name of the competent authority. Check the date; trade and production tables are revised.
- Planning estimates: calculator presets, indicative cost bands and worked examples. They help you size a project, but they are assumptions until you replace them with your own tariff, site data and quotes.
- Open checks: anything that depends on your project or product — permits for your site, whether a plant is listed for your destination, local electricity and water prices, import duties. These are confirmed with the authority, the supplier or your customs broker, never inferred from a country page.
Reading trade data without over-reading it
Import and export values come from official customs declarations, usually through UN Comtrade or WITS. They show that a product crossed a border in a given year. They do not show current demand, prices, which plants are approved, or whether the fish was farmed or wild-caught — customs codes do not record production method. Re-export hubs and processing countries import product that is not consumed locally, and figures for the same flow can differ slightly between the exporter's and the importer's declarations.
Use trade data to choose which origins and forms to ask about, then let the RFQ establish what each supplier can actually ship.
Using the country calculator presets
Country calculators pre-fill local values such as currency and typical utility costs so the first estimate is closer to reality. Treat each preset as a placeholder: replace electricity and water prices with your own tariff, use your own currency rate on the day you decide, and enter your own species, survival and harvest weight. The output is a planning estimate, not a quotation.
Turning a country page into an RFQ
Before you send a request, write down in one place what the country pages gave you and what you still have to confirm. A precise request gets comparable answers; a vague one gets brochures.
- Project or product: species, system or product form, target tonnage or volume, timeline.
- Site or destination facts you have confirmed yourself: water source, power, land status; or destination import rules for seafood.
- Estimates you are still using, labelled as estimates.
- Open checks you want suppliers to answer: plant listings, certificates, lead times, Incoterms rule and named place.
- Budget or programme value: managed requests start at USD 250,000 in total.
Questions about country pages
Are country page figures current?
Each sourced figure carries its source and date. Trade and production statistics are revised, so check the date and, for important decisions, re-read the official source.
Does trade data prove demand for my product?
No. It shows what crossed a border in a given year. It does not show current demand, prices, approved plants or whether fish was farmed or wild.
Can I rely on the calculator's local presets?
Use them to get started, then replace them with your own tariff, exchange rate and production assumptions. The result is a planning estimate, not a quotation.
Who confirms permits and plant listings?
The competent authority in the country, the supplier and your customs broker. A country page names where to check; it does not replace the check.
What happens after I send a request?
A person reviews it within one business day, clarifies the specification, approaches suitable suppliers and returns offers on one basis. Buyer access is free and your identity stays confidential.