REGIONAL> Development
Taiwan: Fujian's second largest seafood exporter
By Hu Meidong and Ding Xueping (China Daily Fujian Bureau)
Updated: 2009-07-24 17:28

Taiwan's demand for seafood freshness has caused a surge in Fujian's seafood export, helping Fujian's seafood industry grow substantially in the first half of 2009.

According to statistics released by Customs, Fujian's export volume of seafood to Taiwan is valued at 15,000 tons, an increase of 50.9%, making Taiwan one of Fujian's largest seafood export destinations second only to ASEAN.

An official from Fuzhou Customs said since the launch of the Full Three Links, the transportation length between Taiwan and the Mainland has greatly shortened, introducing more convenient and lower cost entries to the Taiwan market, resulting in an increase in export volume.

Increased export to major markets including Taiwan, ASEAN and South Korea has contributed to the sizable growth in Fujian's seafood export, which totaled 92,000 tons in the first half of the year, showing a year-by-year increase of 53%. Export to ASEAN rose by 68%, accounting for half of the total export volume and South Korea exports grew by more than 40%.

Building the safety administration system of aquatic enterprises further and encouraging them to use intensive processing, plus strengthening bilateral cooperation in the aquatic industry, "is the best and most fundamental way to deal with technical barriers set up by countries like Europe, America and Japan and to develop seafood industry trade with Taiwan," the official said.