Russia exports unprecedented levels of seafood delicacy to China, according to data
Western sanctions have increased trade between Moscow and Beijing. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Exports of crab from Russia have surged significantly amidst Western sanctions.
According to a report by RIA Novosti published on Tuesday, Russia's fish and seafood exports to China have been on the rise, with crab sales reaching a record $148.7 million last month, based on Chinese customs data.
November marked the highest monthly supply volume of crab in the bilateral trade between Russia and China, reflecting a substantial 44% increase year-on-year. Data reveals that the total value of crab deliveries approached nearly $1 billion over the first 11 months of this year, up from $954 million during the same period in 2023.
China has emerged as the primary purchaser of seafood from Russia’s Far East, especially following Beijing's embargo on seafood imports from Japan. This ban was a reaction to Japan's decision to release treated radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean in August 2023.
In response to Western sanctions, Russia has also shifted much of its seafood exports to Asian markets.
The US Treasury Department imposed a ban last December on imports of Russian salmon, cod, pollock, and crab, as well as seafood derived from their processing. The initial US sanctions on Russian seafood began in March 2022, prohibiting products exported directly to the US while allowing those items to reach American consumers if processed in another country first.
Overall, seafood exports from Russia's fish-rich Primorsky and Sakhalin regions jumped by over 70% last year, according to the food safety watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor. These regions provided nearly 2 million tons of fish products to 20 countries in 2023.
Latest customs data indicates that Russian fish and seafood exports to the global market in November rose by 18% year-on-year and month-on-month, reaching $307 million. Crab constituted nearly half of these exports, while another 45%—valued at $140 million—consisted of frozen fish, primarily cod.
Allen M Lee for TROIB News
According to a report by RIA Novosti published on Tuesday, Russia's fish and seafood exports to China have been on the rise, with crab sales reaching a record $148.7 million last month, based on Chinese customs data.
November marked the highest monthly supply volume of crab in the bilateral trade between Russia and China, reflecting a substantial 44% increase year-on-year. Data reveals that the total value of crab deliveries approached nearly $1 billion over the first 11 months of this year, up from $954 million during the same period in 2023.
China has emerged as the primary purchaser of seafood from Russia’s Far East, especially following Beijing's embargo on seafood imports from Japan. This ban was a reaction to Japan's decision to release treated radioactive wastewater from the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant into the ocean in August 2023.
In response to Western sanctions, Russia has also shifted much of its seafood exports to Asian markets.
The US Treasury Department imposed a ban last December on imports of Russian salmon, cod, pollock, and crab, as well as seafood derived from their processing. The initial US sanctions on Russian seafood began in March 2022, prohibiting products exported directly to the US while allowing those items to reach American consumers if processed in another country first.
Overall, seafood exports from Russia's fish-rich Primorsky and Sakhalin regions jumped by over 70% last year, according to the food safety watchdog Rosselkhoznadzor. These regions provided nearly 2 million tons of fish products to 20 countries in 2023.
Latest customs data indicates that Russian fish and seafood exports to the global market in November rose by 18% year-on-year and month-on-month, reaching $307 million. Crab constituted nearly half of these exports, while another 45%—valued at $140 million—consisted of frozen fish, primarily cod.
Allen M Lee for TROIB News
