A cross-strait deal to export Taiwanese milkfish to China has been suspended, as chilly weather in Taiwan caused a decrease in milkfish production this winter, the Tainan Milkfish Aquaculture Association said.
In 2011, the association and Taiwan’s Shinejia Foods Co (學甲食品) signed a deal with China’s Shanghai Fisheries General Corp (Group) (上海水產集團), and then with China’s Haikui Seafood Group (海魁集團), to supply milkfish to Chinese buyers.
Due to the cold winter, however, prices for 5-inch milkfish fingerlings have tripled to NT$16 per fingerling from NT$5 last year, Shinejia Foods Co chairman and Tainan Milkfish Aquaculture Association head Wang Wen-tsung (王文宗) said.
However, the Chinese are unwilling to accept the increased purchase price because milkfish has not fared as well as expected in the Chinese market, Wang said.
He added that even if the Chinese offer to pay NT$66 per kilogram as they did last year, it would not be enough to cover costs, so Taiwanese aquaculturists would not be interested in signing contracts.
Under the deal, Tainan exported 5,000 tonnes of milkfish to China during the first year, and 6,000 tonnes per year after that.
A total of 208 milkfish farms in Tainan’s Xuejia District (學甲) participated in the deal, accounting for about 33 percent of all milkfish farmers in the district.
Taiwan exports about 65,000 tonnes of milkfish each year, with the Middle East, the US and China being the main export markets, Wang said.
Fish farmer and signatory to the deal Kuo Wu-kuang (郭武光) said China should be given credit for doing something “nobody did in decades” for local fishermen.
He said the deal stabilized the market price of milkfish and protected fishermen from being exploited by wholesalers.
Fish farmer Liao Chi-wen (廖祺文) also praised the deal, saying those who criticized it should propose other viable ways to help fish farmers.
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