China's eel exports have dropped by nearly 50,000 metric tons over the past four years amid the financial crisis and tainted-food scares, according to statistics released by the China Trade Bureau this month.
China's eel exports to Japan, its No. 1 eel importer, dropped by nearly 60,000 metric tons during the same four-year period, according to the report.
Countries have further restricted Chinese eel imports due to the tainted-seafood scares this past year. Concerns over the use of banned substances, such as antibiotics, have caused China's eel exports to fall. Japan, which imports 61 percent of China's total eel exports, has temporarily suspended Chinese eel imports in the past after banned substances were found in the product.
Japan consumes about 100,000 metric tons of eel a year. China exported 46,646 metric tons of grilled eel in 2007, accounting for 8.2 percent of its total export of agricultural and aquaculture products.
China exports eel to 29 countries, including the United States, Japan and Russia. China has stepped up measures in recent months to combat tainted-seafood exports with stricter inspections and increased investment in quality assurance and development.
April 7, 2009
