Shrimp accounted for 10.5 percent of China’s non-processed seafood exports and totaled 30,000 tons worth USD 365 million (EUR 325.9 million) in the first quarter of 2017. Those figures represented respective increases of 13.9 and 22.4 percent, making shrimp exports from China a big winner in the quarter, along with mackerel.
That's where the biggest increase in the first quarter came. Mackerel exports rose a stunning 83.6 percent in volume terms to 125,100 tons worth USD 227 million (EUR 203 million): up by 82.9 percent year on year on the same period in 2016. Mackerel accounted for 10.3 percent of total exports in the first quarter.
Shellfish exports, meanwhile, were down by 8.8 percent and 20.8 percent, respectively to 73,700 tons worth USD 359 million (EUR 320.5 million), according to statistics collected by China’s Commerce Ministry and National Bureau of Statistics.
The single biggest export category – which translates as “cuttlefish, squid, and grass carp" – accounted for 20.4 percent, falling 2.4 percent from last year’s total to 107 million tons and dropping 1.2 percent to USD 70.8 million (EUR 63.2 million).
Tilapia shipments rose 6.6 percent in volume to 80,800 tons worth USD 252 million (EUR 225 million), up 4.7 percent year-on-year. Tilapia accounts for 7.2 percent of all seafood exports in the first three months.
The biggest drop was in crab exports, which accounted for 5.47 percent of overall exports at 14,000 tons worth USD 18.9 million (EUR 16.9 million) – down 14.4 percent and 12.1 percent, respectively.
