As China’s market for salmon grows, the world’s largest producer, Mowi, is hoping to gain a bigger share of the market.
Currently, the Chinese market is supplied primarily by Chilean producers. Charlie Wu, managing director of the Asia Pacific region for Mowi, told SeafoodSource that his company hopes to increase its presence by developing partnerships with key retailers in the market.
“That’s our strategy is to find some key retailers and work with these retailers to build up a stronger supply chain,” Wu said.
Supply chain difficulties, he said, are the biggest obstacles to building a market presence in the country. Mowi’s advantages in other regions – local processing and value-added capacity – aren’t as readily available in China, Wu said.
Despite those challenges, Wu said that the market is beginning to be more and more appealing to salmon producers as local trends toward healthier food options make salmon an increasingly attractive option.
“We are seeing in other Asian countries that salmon goes well with modern trends,” Wu sald. “Consumers want healthy. Consumers want variety.”
The increasing size of China’s middle class make salmon – still seen as a premium product by many – more appealing, Wu said.
“Of course, you look at the pure size of the population, and looking at how the demographic is shifting toward more middle class, more well-educated, and more Western-oriented,” Wu said. “These are all trends that fit perfectly for the growth of salmon consumption from the consumer perspective.”
He predicts that current trends – such as a desire from Chinese consumers for large sizes of salmon – will likely evolve as the market develops.
“The big size fish more has to do with the whole culture,” Wu said. “It’s another sales argument to get more money for the fish.”
Wu said Mowi, being such a large producer of salmon, predicts that as China’s appetite for salmon grows, it will be able to carve out a lucrative part of the market.
“We have quite a bit of expectations for this market,” Wu said.
Photo courtesy of Chris Chase/SeafoodSource
