The popularity of Japanese cuisine is driving prices for eel in China and putting processors under pressure to fill orders, according to several eel processing firms talking to SeafoodSource at Seafood Expo Asia in Hong Kong.
The growing popularity of Japanese restaurants at different price points, from high-end dining to convenience store snacks, is continuing apace across China explained Selina Liao, sales executive at Fujian Huanong Food Co., which also has growth in demand from clients in Russia for similar reasons.
“Our biggest challenge is sourcing enough eels,” Liao said.
That was also the view of Zhang Zaide, general manager at Fuqing Huayi Foods Co, which farms and processes eels in the Fuqing region of Fujian Province, as well as in Jiangxi Province. Conger and kabayaki eel are in high demand, he said.
The eel market – one that is least affected by trade tensions with the U.S. – grew in China in the 1980s when key production regions like Fujian became major supply points for Japanese buyers. In recent years, the surge of Chinese outbound tourism –and the relative strength of the yuan – has made Japan a favorite holiday destination of Chinese tourists and this in turn has further driven demand for Japanese cuisine in China.
