The preference of Chinese consumers for imported seafood is waning, according to the boss of a major importer.
Chinese seafood importer Shandong Ocean International General Manager Wang Long said his company is now actively searching for suppliers of quality local seafood to substitute for frozen imports, which have become risky for the company to handle in the wake of numerous high-profile incidents of imported seafood carrying traces of the coronavirus into China.
“The E.U. and U.S. cannot effectively control the COVID virus. Therefore, imported seafood from there is a risk and we are looking for good-quality domestic supply to replace them,” Wang told the Qingdao media on the sidelines of the Dual Circulation matchmaking event, which was organized by the city’s Ocean and Fisheries Bureau to match seafood suppliers and buyers or distributors.
The Qingdao event was hosted by the China Culinary Association’s Famous Dish Standardization Research Centre, which also cooked dishes featuring seafood supplied by several participating seafood firms. Other companies at the event were online/offline retailer Hema Xiansheng (Fresh Hippo) and Qingdao Gang Guo Logistics Co.
The event was in line with the “Dual Circulation” strategy recently launched by the Chinese government under the auspices of weaning Chinese companies off a reliance on exports (and imported inputs) through import substitution, thus reducing the country’s vulnerability in future trade wars.
Bohai Seafoods CEO Fang Yan, who also attended the event, told media how his company had signed a supply deal with local purveyor Qingdao Bei Yang Da Mei Seafood for shrimp. Part of the larger Hui Tai Investment Co conglomerate, Bohai Seafoods produces and sells shrimp, shrimp feed, and seed. The company reported strong first-half results in November.
“Our Chinese shrimp are popular with foreign customers because of the sweet taste, but in 2020, our sales have been poor, and therefore we are happy to come to this forum and to find new buyers,” Fang told local media.
Photo courtesy of Shandong Ocean International
