China's seafood imports fell 13% in 2020 due to COVID-19

Published Nov 18, 2020

Tridge summary

Chinese seafood imports have seen a significant decrease in 2020, with a 45% drop in August compared to the previous year, and a 31% decrease in September. The decrease is attributed to low demand and stricter inspections at ports due to concerns about the COVID-19 virus being present in imported seafood. The import value of seafood in the first nine months of the year was down 13% year-on-year, with shrimp imports making up nearly half of the decline. The CEO of a Qingdao processing company blames difficult import procedures for delays and increased costs, but notes that the processing industry for re-export is complying with the new regulations.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

According to Chinese customs data compiled by Undercurrentnews in August, China imported seafood worth 4.97 billion yuan ($ 751 million), down 45% from August 2019. In September, the decrease was less but seafood imports this month were 31% lower than the same period last year, worth 6.57 billion yuan. One processor told Undercurrentnews that he expects to import 50% less raw materials for processing this year due to low demand and intense inspections at ports. “Import procedures are getting stricter because there is more evidence that COVID-19 virus can exist in the packaging of imported seafood. What we can do is control the quantity and buy as little seafood as possible. In June, imported fresh salmon was believed to be linked to the COVID-19 outbreak in Beijing. Then in July, reports reported that the COVID-19 virus was found on the packaging of imported Ecuadorian shrimp. Russian pollock shipments, Indonesian seabass and halibut, were also found to carry traces of COVID-19 ...

Source: Vietnambiz