There are signs seafood demand is picking up in China after the country abandoned its zero-Covid policy in November 2022 and eliminated its checks and disinfection routines for seafood imports at its ports. But uncertainty abounds as to what the rapid spread of the virus in China will mean for domestic consumption and for the operation of seafood-processing facilities.
Seafood trader Pablo Resnik, head of business development at Spanish shrimp exporter Roda International, which has an office in China, told SeafoodSource that there’s been a rebound in orders for containers this month. But that recovery may be tepid and short-lived given the impact of Covid’s spread on domestic consumers, he said.
“The high number of sick people reduces consumption. Chinese buyers have the stocks and now they start to slow down the rate of imports,” he said.
Oliver Nikolovski, general director of Shanghai-based sourcing and trading firm Ocean Treasure, said he expects more demand for Chinese processing capacity now that Covid-related operating restrictions have been removed.
“Higher energy costs in Europe mean we are getting a lot more inquiries from customers there about doing more of their processing and marinating in China,” Nikolovski said.
Chinese importers are also regaining the courage to resume business, Nikolovski told SeafoodSource.
“They’re starting to place orders with us again. They’re asking for one or two containers,” he said.
Yet Nikolovski said he’s worried a large number of Chinese factories have been bankrupted by the pandemic and is concerned that the domestic market – increasingly important for Chinese factories – will take months to get back to pre-pandemic levels of demand.