Irish seafood exports to China recovered somewhat in 2021, rebounding from the previous year’s low base.
Irish seafood exports to China were valued at EUR 28 million (USD 24.6 million) last year, a 71 percent increase on the figures for 2020, which was heavily impacted by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Demand for Irish shellfish in China was particularly strong, increasing by over 23 percent,” a spokesperson for Bord Bia, Ireland’s food export promotion agency, told SeafoodSource.
The surge in shipments last year reflects the fact that from January to November 2020, Irish seafood exports to China fell 64 percent on a year-on-year basis. Besides COVID-19 itself, a steep rise in freight costs between China and Europe was blamed for the poor performance in 2020, a factor which has since eased somewhat with congestion at Chinese ports reduced in 2021, according to Bord Bia.
The latest data from Ireland suggests that exporters are learning to cope with China’s enhanced COVID-19 inspection regime, which includes testing and cargo-disinfection procedures. Chinese consumers’ fears of eating imported seafood – presented in the Chinese press as a COVID-19 risk – appear to have eased.
Irish oyster exporters continue to suffer, however, as they extensively rely on air connections into China, air-passenger traffic in and out of China has been drastically reduced due to the country’s strict quarantine regime for incoming travelers.
“Irish exports of oysters to China declined due to the challenges of airlines in getting perishable products into Chinese airports as a result of COVID-19 restrictions,” the Bord Bia spokesperson said.
In the fall of 2021, Bord Bia ran a series of marketing events at food exhibitions in major Chinese cities, including an autumn cooking demonstration for local chefs and media in Qingdao featuring “Emerald Isle” seafood specialties including brown crab, whelk, and oysters.
Photo courtesy of Bord Bia
