PROCESSING AND MAHKETINO 



When the shrimp boats return to port, the shrimp are cooked 

 and packed in wooden boxes containing 8 kilograms (about 17 pounds) of 

 whole shrimp. When the shrimp are intended for export they are iced 

 aboard the vessel in metal dinims. Some are frozen in Rav^son; others 

 are trucked to Mar del Plata, where they are packed in 5-pound cartons 

 and frozen. 



Shrimp are also canned in Argentina. The wet pack is customary. 

 A large portion of the shrimp production is frozen. The freezing and 

 canning plants are located in Rawson and Mar del Plata. In 19^3 about 

 908,000 pounds of raw large shrimp and about 33,000 pounds of small shrimp 

 were processed in these plarits. In 1952 about 3.2 million pounds of 

 large and about 132,000 pounds of small shrimp were handled in the 

 processing plants. 



In Buenos Aires shrimp are retailed cooked-whole. Small shrimp 

 were selling for about h pesos (about 10 United States cents 3/) a pound 

 and large shrimp for about 9 pesos a pound. Beef was retailing for 2 or 

 3 pesos a pound. 



FOREIGN TRADE 



Argentina imports only small quantities of fishery products. 

 In 195U the total was but l5ii,000 pounds, of which 128,000 pounds were 

 canned fish from Pern and 22,000 pounds were live Chilean lobsters. The 

 remaining li,000 pounds were fresh and canned fishery products from Chile. 

 The Central Bank establishes a list of iraport items which can be imported 

 on free exchange and without need for prior exchange permits. Since shrimp 

 are not on this list, an import permit is required. Permits for food- 

 stuffs are granted only for essential items, of which shrimp is not 

 considered to be one. 



The principal exports of fishery products are fish meal and 

 fresh and frozen fish and shellfish. In 1953, total exports of fishery 

 products (table 5) were valued at $59,000. The exports of fresh and 

 frozen shellfish were probably entirely frozen shrimp, most of which were 

 destined for the United States (table 6). 



3/ The rate of exchange on the free market was ItO Argentine pesos = $1.00 

 or 1.00 peso =■ 2-1/2 U. S. cents. This rate is used for all conversions 

 to U, S. dollars for the Argentine peso. 



