SCE Authorizes Santa Priscila Acquisition Of Ecuaprotein Assets

Transaction

Ecuador's Superintendencia de Competencia Economica (SCE) authorized Industrial Pesquera Santa Priscila to acquire assets from Ecuaprotein on July 28, 2026.

The approval stems from a June 1 resolution allowing Santa Priscila to acquire Ecuaprotein assets. The authorized transaction covers goods and resources used to produce and commercialize shrimp and fish hydrolysates.

The SCE did not disclose the amount Santa Priscila will pay for the Ecuaprotein assets. It did state that the operation does not generate harmful effects for competition because sufficient competitive pressure remains in the market.

Strategic context

Santa Priscila is Ecuador's largest shrimp exporter and one of the largest shrimp exporters globally. The company was created in 1973 in Machala and ranks as Ecuador's third-largest company by sales volume, according to Superintendencia de Companias data cited by Primicias.

Santa Priscila operates six packing plants on Ecuador's coast and employs about 16,000 people. In 2025, annual reports showed revenue above USD 1.6 billion.

Its export destinations include China, Japan, Taiwan, Russia, Spain, other European countries, the United States, Colombia, and Chile.

Asset relevance

Ecuaprotein produces and commercializes shrimp and fish hydrolysates. The Camara Nacional de Acuacultura (CNA) describes hydrolysates as high-nutritional-value ingredients obtained from processing byproducts.

For Santa Priscila, the asset package strengthens an adjacent processing stream linked to shrimp and fish inputs. The clearance is relevant because it adds scale around value-added use of byproducts without triggering a competition block.

What to watch

• Whether Santa Priscila integrates Ecuaprotein output into export-linked value chains
• Whether the SCE publishes additional market-share analysis for hydrolysates
• Whether Ecuador's shrimp sector continues consolidating around larger integrated operators
• Whether hydrolysate production receives stronger demand from feed, nutrition, or industrial ingredient buyers

Source: Primicias.