“It is around Christmas that the demand for oysters in France is at its greatest and around 90 percent of of the 1,000 tonnes of oysters produced each year in Portugal go to the French market,” Fernando Gonçalves told Lusa News Agency.
According to Gonçalves, the French market “continues to be of greater importance, particularly around seasons like Christmas and Easter.”
Portuguese oysters are produced in the regions of Aveiro, the Sado River estuary, Castro Marim, Alvor, the Ria Formosa and Sagres.
Gonçalves said that a drop in value added tax (IVA) on oysters, from 23 percent to 6 percent, outlined in the 2017 State Budget, will lead to new producers and an increase of sales of oysters in the Portuguese market.
“Until then, we will continue to export almost all of our production to France,” he said, adding that the drop in tax will make the product more competitive for the national market.