Although China-Australia relations have fallen into a trough and the sales of Australia’s main export products have been interrupted, Australian salmon exporters still benefit from the gradual recovery of Chinese seafood consumption.
The procurement manager of Shunjingfa Holding Group Co., Ltd. said that the import volume of Australian salmon by his company has returned to 80% of the pre-epidemic level, while the overall salmon market level is only 35%. “Australian salmon has a shorter shipping route and can usually be delivered faster, sometimes only two days. However, it usually takes three to five days for Norwegian salmon and five to seven days for shipment from Chile.”
According to Australian government statistics, from 2019 to 2020, China is Australia’s largest export market for agricultural, fishery and forestry products, and its export value has doubled by five times compared with 20 years ago.
The president of the China Aquatic Products Circulation and Processing Association said: “China’s imported salmon comes from many countries, and Australia’s production is much lower than that of Norway, which cannot meet the needs of the Chinese market.”
According to data provided by the Norwegian Seafood Agency (NSC), as of mid-March, Norway had exported 21,867 tons of seafood to China, valued at NOK 584 million. The Director of the Mainland China and Hong Kong Region of the Norwegian Seafood Agency said: “We are seeing an increasing demand for Norwegian seafood in the Chinese market, especially fresh salmon and fresh shellfish products.”
An import company in Beijing also said that Chilean salmon imports are also recovering, and demand and prices are rising.
