Sanford reported that administrative problems in China delayed several shipments of fresh salmon since the end of January.

Sanford faces delays for its salmon to enter China

NEW ZEALAND
Tuesday, February 19, 2019, 00:10 (GMT + 9)

Seafood company Sanford has had some problems recently for its exports of salmon to enter China, a situation that some see retaliation and a sign of growing tension linked to a measure that affects the Chinese telecommunications company Huawei.

Sanford seafood factory. (Photo RNZ)

The company said that due to administrative issues, fresh salmon shipments to China have suffered delays since the end of January, but they do not attribute this to a deterioration in bilateral relations.

The customer service director, Andre Gargiulo, said the company has not received any explanation from local authorities about the reason for these inconveniences. 

 Total exports from New Zealand to China last year reached USD 15.3 billion. This Asian country is the largest export market for many New Zealand primary products, such as dairy products, seafood and kiwi.

According to the New Zealand Herald, it is suspected that delays in customs clearance may be related to the ban on the participation of Chinese telecommunications company Huawei in the construction of a high-speed mobile network.

The same media reported that the postponement of a Chinese tourism event in Wellington and the suspension of the flight of an Air New Zealand plane to Shanghai would also be indications of China's reaction against the Huawei ban.

However, the executive president of the Meat Industry Association, Tim Ritchie, said he was not aware of any problems with exports to China, which is New Zealand's largest sheep meat market.

A spokesperson for the forestry industry also said he was not aware of any problems.

For his part, New Zealand King Salmon Chief Executive Grant Rosewarne, said his company was not experiencing any significant problems with its trade in China.

"We export a minimum volume of our king salmon to China - about 1 percent of our production, or about 100 tonnes.. We are monitoring the situation, however our most recent shipments to China have arrived and been processed as normal," he said.

According to trade officials close to the issue, New Zealand exporters often face problems entering China, and recent drawbacks may be "normal."

In fact, an industry source said exporters of seafood to China tend to suffer delays around the Chinese New Year, which this year fell on February 5, due to the large volume of product entering China in that moment.
 

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