China Herbs, Spices & Seasonings insights

According to Alexey Buglak, chairman of the Russian Pollock Fishing Association (PCA), Chinese buyers purchased a total of 180 tons of pollock roe during the auction from April 8 to 10, completing 18% of Russia's export target to China this year. He said: "We hope to continue to expand sales in the upcoming April and May auctions and establish direct cooperation with more interested Chinese buyers." Russia's planned target for exporting pollock roe to China in 2025 is 1,000 tons, and it hopes to increase exports to 5,000 tons per year in the next two to three years to accelerate the strategic layout of expanding the Asian market, especially the Chinese market. At the Busan auction, Russian company Tralflot performed well, with 7 of its 13 lots being bought by Chinese buyers. The company's CEO Vladimir Rekasov said: "This is a great start. We see strong demand from the Chinese market and a bright future for long-term cooperation." Chinese buyers participating in the auction include several large seafood importers and distributors. Representatives of China Eastern Airlines Logistics pointed out that they were impressed when they first saw the auction of pollock roe products and immediately snapped up the first batch of roe, planning to use this product to explore further expansion of the domestic market. It is understood that China Eastern Airlines Logistics imports 6,000 tons of crabs from Russia every year and is now considering incorporating pollock roe into its product matrix. The person in charge of Dalian Aquamarine Aquatic Products Company also said that the market response to the 150 tons of pollock roe purchased as a test last year was positive, and this year the planned purchase volume will be increased to 2-3 times the original amount. "The first batch of roe has been bought by us at this auction, and the quality has been unanimously recognized by us and our customers." Another company participating in the auction, Shanghai Hecheng Food Co., Ltd., was also satisfied with the results. Jennifer, the company's purchasing director Yao said: "This is my first time to participate in the auction in Busan, and I have gained a lot. We not only successfully bid for the product, but also had in-depth exchanges with Russian experts. We will further cooperate with the company's R&D team to promote the product into the domestic high-end retail market." It is reported that Hecheng Food has established strategic cooperation with Russian king crab producers, and some products have successfully entered mainstream retail channels including Hema Fresh. The success of this transaction not only demonstrates the potential of Russian pollock roe in the Chinese market, but also indicates that the cooperation between China and Russia in the field of aquatic product trade will enter a broader and deeper development stage. With the increasing demand of Chinese consumers for high-quality seafood, pollock roe is expected to become a new generation of "seafood star" after king crab.

Bolivia's El Opinion reported on the 20th that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote in the report: "The economic impact (of exporting chia seeds to China) is expected to be huge. Producers have set a goal to reach 50,000 tons of chia seeds exported to China each year through an active international promotion strategy, thereby promoting the growth of agricultural production." On the 17th, Agropecuaria Chía Corp, located in the Latin American Business Park in Santa Cruz, shipped 25 tons of chia seeds to China for the first time. With the joint efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Rural Development and Land, the National Agricultural Health and Food Safety Service (Senasag) and the Export Chamber (CADEX), 12 Bolivian companies have been approved to export chia seeds to China, and another 5 companies are under review. Edmundo Farrell, a representative of chia seed producers in Santa Cruz, said: Farell thanked the government for its support. "This dream started six years ago, and we realized that our own strength was far from enough. It was not until the Ministry of Foreign Affairs took over three years ago that the project really got on track." Farrell also emphasized that the achievement of exporting chia seeds to China will directly benefit more than 1,000 large, medium and small farmers. "This is a historic event that is saving an industry and, most importantly, creating the best opportunity to promote the export of chia seeds in Bolivia. It is expected that the planting area of chia seeds in winter will reach 50,000 hectares, and the economic benefits will be as high as 50 million US dollars between 2025 and 2026." He said. President Luis Arce also emphasized the importance of this achievement to Bolivia. "This (China) is a huge market, and today we have the opportunity to enter this huge market with our products." He said.

In 2024, China imported 800 tons of honey from Russia. Slovakia topped the list (import volume 1,200 tons), and Serbia ranked second (slightly more than 1,000 tons). In 2024, Russia's honey exports exceeded 5,000 tons, a record high, a year-on-year increase of 40%. More than 50 countries purchased Russian honey. According to data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Russia is one of the top ten honey producers. According to statistics from the World Bank, Russia currently ranks fourth in China's honey import rankings, second only to New Zealand, Australia and Thailand. According to the Russian Agricultural Products Export Development The center estimates that by 2030, Russia's honey exports may reach 10 million US dollars. On March 18, the Russian Agricultural Products Export Center told the Russian Satellite News Agency that according to preliminary statistics, Russia's agricultural product exports to China in 2024 will exceed 8.3 million tons, with a total export value of about 7.4 billion US dollars. Among the agricultural products exported by Russia to China, rapeseed oil (13%) ranks first in export volume, followed by barley (10%), followed by sunflower oil and peas (8% each), and soybeans (7%). China will become the main importer of Russian agricultural products in 2024, and has maintained this position for two consecutive years.