February 3, 2006	Friday	Muharram 4, 1427

BEIJING, Feb 2: Pakistan’s seafood export to China showed an upward trend during the last year, according to the Chinese customs authority. The export of seafood was amounted to $11.5 million during January-December 2005 as compared to $7.3 million in the corresponding period a year ago, an increase of about 58 per cent.

Officials told APP here on Thursday that there were bright prospects to further increase the export of sea products to China. The Chinese side was prepared to import all types of quality fish and shrimps to meet a growing local demand, the sources added.

The import duty on frozen seafood in China is around 15 to 20 per cent. The officials said the fishing market in China was quite huge and Pakistani businessmen needed to visit the local market in order to find new prospects in the fishing industry.

Seafood, especially fish, is a very important product in China. With a growth rate in the income of Chinese consumers, the demand for imported seafood has increased in the recent years. An official of the Chinese commerce ministry said that exporters should carefully follow the trend and specific requirements of the Chinese fish and seafood market.

Traditional fish and seafood that the Chinese are inclined towards are ribbonfish, croaker, squid and shrimps. Big cities like Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou have seen a hike in the income level. This has given a major boost to the import of seafood products which also include lobster, oyster, cod, salmon and crabs.—APP