Though Oz cannot meet the booming demand in China.
The China state-affiliated newspaper Global Times reports Australian salmon traders are benefiting from a gradual recovery. This is despite “souring relations”.
But Australian salmon is cheaper than fish from Norway and Chile, because its proximity means lower shipping costs.
Weng Qiang, a purchasing manager at Beijing-based seafood company Sunkfa Holding Group, said that Australian salmon was picking up.
“Compared with other producing nations, salmon shipments from Australia often arrive faster because of the shorter distance. Sometimes it can take just two days, while it normally takes three to five days from Norway and five to seven days from Chile,” said Qiang. Other sources told the publication that prices were cheaper.
He added that the company’s imports of Australian salmon have recovered 80 per-cent of the pre-epidemic levels.
However, the president of the China Aquatic Products Processing and Marketing Alliance, Cui He, said that this may be temporary.
“China has diversified sources of salmon, and Australia has a much lower production capacity than Norway – about one-tenth – which cannot meet the booming demand in China,” said He.
Norway and Chile remain the top sources of imported salmon to China.
