Fresh lobster on the cheap in Australia, thanks to Chinese import ban
Fresh succulent lobster is set to spice up Christmas festivities among many Australian families this year as prices plummet amid an import ban imposed by China.
The typically pricey fare has become a hot conversation topic of late in Australia as local prices go down nearly 30% to between A$70 and A$80 (US$53 to US$61) per kilogram, depressed by Chinese authorities’ claim of a need to examine live Australian lobster cargoes for trace elements of metal. At the major supermarket chains Woolworths and Coles, purchases had to be capped after their offers of the crustacean at half-price attracted consumers to snap up stocks.
So overwhelming was the local response to the surfeit of domestic rock lobster in the market that one Hong Kong immigrant by the name of May told Apple Daily: “Don’t let the mainland Chinese think they can call the shots just because they have money.”
She added that in the past, it was rare to see live lobster at local food stalls because of the high price tags. All her friends were over the moon as they could now enjoy it fresh at more affordable costs, May said.
China had been the biggest market for live Australian lobster, until Chinese customs started conducting inspections out of the blue over food safety allegations, putting off exporters from sending out more shipments, much to the delight of consumers from Darwin to Hobart.
The incident is just one of many that have been driving a wedge into Sino-Australian trade ties since late April, when Canberra called for an international inquiry into the origins of the coronavirus and spoke out on human rights issues in Hong Kong and Xinjiang.
Over the subsequent months, Beijing manifested its displeasure time and again, targeting Australian wine, timber, barley, beef, coal, cotton, journalists working in mainland China and even soldiers who served in Afghanistan, taking the bilateral relationship to its lowest point since the establishment of diplomatic ties nearly half a century ago.
Australian media recently reported on how the prices of rock lobster at local wharfs had dropped significantly, prompting some commercial fishing operators to hang up their nets for the time being.
Consumers are rejoicing, however. With Christmas just around the corner, there is no better time to feast on the costly delicacy without burning a hole in the pocket.
Woolworth said it sold just 6.5 tonnes of lobster last year. In the first four days of its half-price promotion, however, lobster sales had surpassed twice the volume of the entire Christmas holiday sales in 2019, it said. The supermarket chain expected to hit 35 tonnes in sales this year and was glad to see locals supporting domestic seafood produce.
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