Russia hopes to raise fish, seafood exports to China after Japan ban

Russia hopes to summation its marine merchandise exports to China successful the aftermath of China's prohibition connected Japanese seafood imports aft the merchandise of treated radioactive h2o from the wrecked Fukushima atomic powerfulness works into the sea.

Russia is 1 of the biggest marine merchandise suppliers to China, with 894 Russian companies allowed to export seafood, Rosselkhoznadzor, the Russian nutrient information watchdog, said successful July.

In a connection precocious connected Friday, Rosselkhoznadzor said it was seeking to summation the fig of exporters.

"The Chinese marketplace successful wide is promising for Russian food products. We anticipation to summation the fig of certified Russian companies and ships, the measurement of products and its range," the Rosselkhoznadzor connection said.

To assistance that effort, Rosselkhoznadzor plans to proceed dialog with China connected seafood information issues and decorativeness negotiations with China connected regulations for Russian marine products supply to the country, the connection said.

China has already banned immoderate nutrient imports from Japan but Thursday's full prohibition was prompted by concerns astir the "risk of radioactive contamination" aft it started releasing the treated water.

China was the destination for implicit a fractional of Russian aquatic products exports betwixt January and August, the connection said without providing figures, dominated by pollock, herring, flounder, sardine, cod and crab.

Russia exported 2.3 cardinal metric tons of marine products past twelvemonth worthy astir $6.1 billion, astir a fractional of its wide catch, with China, South Korea and Japan being biggest importers, according to Russia's fisheries agency.

Japan said criticism from Russia and China was unsupported by technological grounds and contamination levels successful the h2o volition beryllium beneath those considered harmless for drinking nether World Health Organization standards.

Still, Rosselkhoznadzor said it has tightened the screening of Japan seafood imports though the volumes are insignificant.

The regulator besides said the absorption of currents successful the Russian Far East, wherever astir 70% of Russia's seafood is caught, "would forestall contamination" of marine products caught by Russian ships.

It has besides tightened the radiological power of seafood caught successful Russian waters which are comparatively adjacent to Fukushima and would trial selected samples for radiation levels, Interfax reported connected Thursday, citing Rosselkhoznadzor's Pacific office.