Seafood is now allowed into the fast-track ‘green channel’ at Qingdao airport, greatly speeding up customs checking and procedures according to local importers and distributors.
“This will add to the local supply…There’s more demand for seafood and less local supply, but up to now, we were reluctant to get involved as it wasn’t clear how long the processing time would take and some perishable goods have been lost,” Zhang Zhenlong, general manager of Hai Cheng Bang Da Co, a logistics firm, told the Qilu Evening News, a local daily newspaper.
The easing of import restrictions comes just as the country's newly lengthened fishing moratorium kicked in on 1 May – a month earlier than in previous years. One of China’s top seafood consumption points, Shanghai has also announced that the moratorium on fishing in its waters will stretch from May to 16 September.
