Imports of tuna surged this year in Ningbo, one of the largest ports on China’s east coast.
In its recently disclosed import data, Ningbo reported its seafood imports for the first three quarters of 2018 at CNY 2.04 billion (USD 293.6 million, EUR 259.2 million), up 42.1 percent year-over-year.
Frozen bonito, toothfish, and “long-fin” tuna were the top three product categories, with bonito imports totaling CNY 217 million (USD 31.3 million, EUR 27.6 million), toothfish value reaching CNY 170 million (USD 24.5 million, EUR 21.6 million), and its long-fin tuna imports valued at CNY 60.2 million (USD 8.7 million, EUR 7.7 million), according to Ningbo customs.
While Ningbo has a large seafood canning industry, there’s growing demand from domestic consumption in China’s regional cities. Bluefin tuna and bonito were both showcased earlier this month at a glitzy opening ceremony at a new Xu Ji Seafood outlet in Yue Hui Plaza in Xi’an, in northwestern China.
Xu Guo Hua, a businessman who operates 22 Xu Ji Seafood outlets in cities including Changsha, Xi’an and Zhuzhou, said he sees a major market for imported seafood in China. Xu is planning on opening up to 27 additional restaurants in China’s inland cities by 2020. Xu’s restaurants combine Western-style design and décor with Chinese cuisine and a menu that prominently features imported staples including tuna, crab, salmon, and oysters. He says the average customer spends CNY 300 (USD 43.17, EUR 38.16) per meal at Xu Ji Seafood.
Xu told SeafoodSource China’s seafood restaurant scene is lucrative but largely fragmented with countless standalone restaurants. A rash of scandals over price-gouging and ongoing worries about hygiene and food safety has created an opening for a well-managed chain at the higher end of the market, Xu said.
“China needs a major seafood dining brand,” he said.
Photo courtesy of Xu Ji Seafood
