February 11, 2010

Indonesia eyes Chinese seafood market

Indonesia hopes to export shrimps to China, which is expected to become a net importer of shrimps in the next two years, an official of the maritime and fishery ministry said.

According to surveys, China would become a net importer of shrimps in the next two years, Made L Nurjana, the breeding director general, said.

Nurjana said currently China produces around 600,000 tonnes of shrimp a year and exports 100,000 tonnes of them.

There are already indications that China would become a net importer with fast growing domestic demand, while efforts to expand shrimp farms are hampered by limited suitable locations, he said.

He said currently Indonesia exports the groupers to China, adding that country imports the groupers mainly from Indonesia.