August 22, 2006

China aquatic-products trade weaker 

The latest official statistics show China's aquatic export rising only slowly on concerns of product safety, raw material quality and as Japan's amended regulations covering residual chemical additives in food, said the Ministry of Agriculture.

Based on a survey by the ministry's Bureau of Fisheries, China's total trade in aquatic products was 2.92 million tonnes at US$6 billion in the first half of this year. Export volume and value increased 12 and 13 percent respectively from the same period last year. For imports, this was 7 and 1 percent higher on-year for tonnage and value respectively. 

Still, the statistics suggest that China's aquatic industry continues to develop well on the whole, as output of aquatic products rose 5 percent in H1 2006 (except for the Tibet autonomous region).

Area under aquatic production rose 12 percent to 7,537 hectares. The report further pointed to a supply-demand equilibrium.

Based on a survey of 60 aquatic wholesale markets and 49 aquatic products in China, the bureau revealed the average prices of aquatic products to be 1 to 2 percent lower than a year ago.