Nine Jamaican companies have been approved by Chinese authorities to export crayfish into China.
According to the China General Administration of Customs the companies include Kingston-based Rainforest Seafoods Ltd, B&D Trawling Ltd., and CSSI Seafood Processing Ltd., as well as Cole’s Seafood in Westmoreland and Branmar Seafoods in St. Elizabeth.
Demand for crayfish – formerly an export commodity – has soared in recent years in China as catering companies have promoted the species as a favorite input for communal, informal dining much in the way that hotpot restaurants have flourished in recent years across China.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has estimated that China’s import demand for crayfish could be worth up to USD 1.5 billion (EUR 1.3 billion) per year for the U.S. producers – who, ironically, have in recent years protested over what they saw as dumping of Chinese crayfish on American markets.
