The coronavirus outbreak in China has started to hit crab trading in the Indian state of Kerala, with prices falling sharply amid abundant supplies.
The crisis has started affecting the market, with supplies of the red female crab piling up at the small-scale dealers. Several wholesale dealers in Kerala have stopped procuring live red crab from small-scale dealers and fishermen following restrictions imposed on exports of the species to China, The Hindu BusinessLine reported 27 January.
Due to restrictions on exports to China, crabs are currently being sold at INR 250 to 300 (USD 3.50 to USD 4.20, EUR 3.20 to EUR 3.80) per kilogram in Indian domestic markets, down sharply from INR 1,200 to 1,500 (USD 16.80 to USD 21.00, EUR 15.30 to EUR 19.10) per kilogram previously, according to the Deccan Chronicle.
The spread of the deadly virus has also impacted seafood processors and exporters in Kerala.
“Seafood processing units and exporters in Kerala have been asked to slow down shipments. Normally, we used to ship several consignments to China during the Chinese New Year period. However, this year, no shipment could be made,” seafood processing unit owner in Kerala V. Visakhan told the Chronicle.
Both exporters to China as well as importers of processed product from Chinese suppliers are worried about the impact of the coronavirus on their sales.
The rapid outbreak of the coronavirus, with an origin tracked to a seafood market in Wuhan, China, has killed 170 people and sickened more than 7,000 in China so far, with dozens more cases confirmed in other countries, including in the United States, Japan, Thailand, and Germany, South China Morning Post reported 30 January.
The city of Wuhan is a major logistics hub for China’s seafood trade in central China, and the virus hit the market at its busiest time of the year. The city is also central to the trade in freshwater species like crabs given its location in Hubei Province, at the heart of China’s freshwater crustacean industry.
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