At the 2024 CIIE, Australian seafood companies and Chinese partners have completed three important contracts. China has always been an important export market for Australian seafood, with Australian lobsters, abalone, tuna, sea crabs, and salmon being highly favored by Chinese consumers.
As logistics between China and Australia become more convenient, Australian seafood companies will face more opportunities for growth and development in the Chinese market.
Import tariffs have been reduced to zero
Australia offers a diverse range of seafood products
Australia is one of the world's largest fishing regions, with over 10000 beaches, over 60000 kilometers of coastline, and nearly 3000 known fish species in its waters. The tariffs on Chinese imports of Australian seafood were all reduced to zero before 2019.
In this year's Expo, Dinko Tuna Farmers, an Australian high-quality seafood company, brought southern bluefin tuna, sardine and other products; The third-generation seafood company Ferguson Australia, established in 1969, attracted the attention of professional audiences with its wild southern rock lobster and golden ocean lobster.
The Australian Queensland Food Group, South Australian Lobster Exporter SALCO, Southern Bluefin Tuna Fishing and Aquaculture Expert Stehr Group, Luxury South Australian Abalone Fishing Company Western Abalone, and South Australian Large Abalone Aquaculture Enterprise Yumbath, which won the "Queensland Export Award", attracted the attention of many professional visitors at the CIIE.
The total fishery production in Australia in 2021 was 295100 tons, of which 42% came from aquaculture. The Australian marine fishing industry remains stable at around 170000 tons. At the beginning of this century, the catch reached as high as 230000 tons, but due to the decline in lobster catch, the catch decreased slightly at the beginning of this century. Aquaculture is dominated by Atlantic salmon (68%) and mollusks (13%).
Aquaculture is the fastest-growing primary industry in Australia, accounting for 40% of the total seafood output value. Rock lobster, southern bluefin tuna, abalone, scallops, shrimp, and prawns are the main export marine fishing species.
Signed seafood companies
Looking forward to future cooperation
On November 6th, three Australian seafood companies signed a memorandum of understanding with Chinese seafood import companies, indicating that there will be more cooperation and development in the future of China Australia seafood trade.
Stehr Group has signed a cooperation agreement with Shanghai Xinjiangyang Supply Chain Management Co., Ltd. for southern bluefin tuna; Western Abalone has signed memorandums of cooperation with Wenzhou Longsheng Aquatic Food Co., Ltd., Dingke Tuna Breeder Co., Ltd., and Guangzhou Baifei Port Trading Co., Ltd.
In 2023, Australia exported seafood worth AUD 406 million to China. According to a report by the Australian Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (ABARES), the total output value of Australia's fisheries and aquaculture industry is expected to grow by 0.5% in 2023-2024, reaching AUD 3.56 billion.
Assist in the development of the industry
Each state issues subsidy policies
In recent years, various states in Australia have also held seafood promotion activities in China and introduced relevant favorable export policies to help Australian seafood companies enter the field of Chinese consumers.
In September, Queensland opened the Fishing Grants Program aimed at developing commercial and charter fishing programs aimed at establishing sustainable fisheries heritage and promoting sustainable fishing practices, with a subsidy share of up to AUD 400000.
In September, at the National Seafood Development Direction Conference in Australia, Tasmania announced the development of the Tasmanian Wild Capture Fisheries Strategy, which will support the wild capture seafood industry through policies, assist in formulating future strategic plans, support Tasmanian fishermen, and provide certainty for commercial fisheries.
The South Australian government previously released the "Seafood Export Growth Program", which provides export and marketing support for the South Australian seafood industry through a series of specific measures such as exporter capacity building, two-way market activation and integration, marketing promotion support, and export consulting. It fully utilizes the positive changes in the trade environment to help South Australian star seafood return to the Chinese market and actively explores emerging markets with unlimited potential.
China and Australia are located in two hemispheres, north and south, with different resource endowments, strong economic complementarity, and enormous potential for cooperation. Since the first CIIE, numerous Australian companies and institutions have participated, covering a wide range of product categories including food and beverages, agricultural products, consumer goods, medical devices and healthcare, service trade, technological life, as well as equipment and technology. Many Australian products and services have opened up the Chinese market through the CIIE, gaining widespread recognition among Chinese consumers.
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