Chinese demand for Chilean salmon is “practically zero.”
In an interview with Bloomberg, SalmonChile President Arturo Clement said that Chinese demand for Chilean salmon is “practically zero”. In normal times, China buys 40,000 tonnes of Chilean salmon a year.
The former Multiexport CEO and current industry body boss said: “There has been a psychosis with the issue, therefore Chinese demand went to zero and hasn’t recovered. There’s confusion in the market, which causes people to stop consuming seafood.”
Clement was referring to attitudes in consumer attitudes in China after traces of coronavirus were discovered last month on a chopping board for imported salmon in Beijing.
The SalmonChile boss, who was last week chosen by industrial sector guild to lead Chile-Russia relations (which has also seen limitations on salmon), said that many salmon farmers face pressure from the drop in prices. He added that volume in the first half of the year was four per cent higher than the same period last year.
“In the end, the only open market we have is the U.S., which is far bigger, but that has put enormous pressure” after prices, he said.
