China to Boost Domestic Consumption of Deep-sea Tuna

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Friday, January 17, 2003

China to Boost Domestic Consumption of Deep-sea Tuna

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Deep-sea tuna, once a nutritious yet expensive marine food for Chinese consumers, will become more and more accessible to ordinary Chinese residents, said an official from the Fisheries Bureau of the Ministry of Agriculture on Friday.

Zhang Hecheng, deputy director of the bureau, said in the past deep-sea tuna was known to only a few ordinary Chinese people and consumed by even less, because of China's slow reserve technology and high processing cost.

"But now, technological hurdles no longer exist and with the quick improvement of living standards, tuna will become commonly consumed in China," said Zhang, who envisioned a huge potential domestic market for the seafood.

Free from pollution, the tuna is one of three most recommended fishes deemed as highly nutritious, along with salmon and sardine.

Detailed plans for tuna consumption are being outlined and chain stores are said to have set up in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou for tuna sales.

China has an annual tuna catch of approximately 30,000 tons, most of which is sold to Japan and processed there into sashimi.

The ministry's statistics indicate that although China's production of marine food has ranked top the world for years, its consumption level is too low.

Following tuna, Zhang said, other wholesome and nutritious seafood like eel and kelp will also be among those to be promoted among Chinese consumers.

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