STAG News Bites: 🤝Australia-UK Free Trade Agreement; 💹China market news and insights; 🚢Sea Freight piece decreasing  

Some of these articles are in foreign languages and can be automatically translated on Google Chrome. 

Note: These articles are a round-up of news media in key seafood markets. The information is provided as part of our market intelligence service to Australian seafood exporters. The views expressed in the media articles are not those of the STAG and are in no way endorsed by us. 

💹 China: Market news and insights 

Minister for Agriculture, Senator Murray Watt, has made optimistic comments regarding access for lobster.  According to Bloomberg News, the Minister said “there’s emerging evidence that Australian lobster exporters aren’t seeing the same obstacles from Chinese authorities that they previously had”. Read the Bloomberg story here.   

This blog post (Chinese) also looks at the market access issue.  

Yicai.com reports on general positive sentiment in the mainland seafood market: “Andreas Thorud, director of the Norwegian Seafood Bureau in China, said: ‘In January this year, the increase in salmon imports hit a record high (106%), and such a high increase has never been seen before’” Read the story here (Chinese).   

According to Yahoo.com, Taiwan’s seafood prices are rising: “‘I thought the price would stabilise after the new year’s end, but in mid-February, the Boston lobster imported from the United States and Canada rose from 850 yuan to 1,150 yuan per kilo… For example, the abalone imported from Australia costs about 1,100 yuan per kilogram, an increase of 10%” Read more here (Chinese).  

China’s version of Quora, Zhihu.com, hosts a discussion thread on Australian seafood of interest to mainland consumers. Read the responses here (Chinese).  

Which lobster species is the most expensive? According to this ranking, Australian lobster comes out at a very affordable number five. See the rest of the competition here (Chinese). 

By: Bhavana Scalia-Bruce

🚢 Shipping: Sea freight piece drops 

According to Seafoodsource.com some seafood exporters are benefitting from recent price corrections in sea freight. Read more here.  

Don’t forget to check the latest Supply Chain Snapshot from Austrade. This edition focuses on air freight, where rates are also decreasing. Link on the bottom of the Export Supply Chain Service website here.  

🐟 Indian Ocean driftnet ban 

Fox News reports on disagreements in the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission over the use of driftnets by EU vessels. Read more here.  

The Uuuo app connects supermarkets and other businesses with fishing companies selling freshly caught seafood. (Photo courtesy of Uuuo

💻 Technology: Cross-border seafood e-commerce 

Nikkei Asia reports ‘Japanese fish market startup Uuuo has cast a wider net to capture a growing hunger for fresh fish, starting with on-demand delivery service to businesses in Thailand and Cambodia.’ Read more here.  

The STAG is funded by partners:

www.seafoodtradeadvisory.com

The Seafood Trade Advisory Group (STAG) is jointly funded by the Australian government and the fishing industry. We receive funds from the Fisheries Research and Development Corporation (FRDC).which is a statutory authority within the portfolio of the Federal Minister for Agriculture, Water and the Environment. 

 Any information provided in this STAG publication is general in nature. Before acting on any information provided, you should consider its appropriateness to your individual circumstances and business objectives.