After a turbulent 2012 in which supplies of blue-swimming crab imports fell and prices rose, the popular species is in a more stable mode this year.
Indonesia, the largest producer of blue-swimming crab, is on par with last year’s supply to the U.S. market. Through April, the United States had imported 4.9 million pounds, down from the 5.4 million pounds imported during the same fourth-month period in 2012.
The United States is the biggest market for Indonesia’s crab exports, purchasing more than half of the total production. In 2011, the total export volume was valued at USD 262 million. In all of 2012, Indonesia exported 16.2 million pounds, followed by China at 7.9 million pounds, Vietnam at 3.5 million pounds and the Philippines and Thailand at 3.3 million and 3.1 million pounds, respectively.
Chicken of the Sea Frozen Foods in El Segundo, Calif., sources pasteurized crabmeat from sister companies in all of those countries, except China, as well as India and Sri Lanka. By working with these producers, said Bogdan Serbu, marketing manager, the company is able to guarantee the best quality control through vertical integration.
Click here to read the full story that ran in the July issue of SeaFood Business >
