China-Taiwan Face-off: China slams ban on the export of popular fish, grouper
- China has banned the import of grouper, a popular fish by Taiwan into the country, citing the presence of chemical
- The Chinese government said it detected the presence of malachite green, an antimicrobial substance in groupers being sent to the country
- The ban has put Nigerian fish importers on edge as consumers may begin boycott over fears of being poisoned
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China has clamped a ban on the import of an important fish from Taiwan, the grouper, which is the fourth agricultural product to be barred from entering the Chinese market in 2021, according to a report by Nikkei Asia.
On Friday, June 17, 2022, Beijing announced the suspension via China’s General Administration of Customs and said that it discovered a malachite green, a prohibited chemical substance used in aquaculture, present in the fish.
Source: Getty Images
China also targets other countries products
Last year, China stopped Taiwan from exporting pineapples, Sugar and wax apples into the country.
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According to reports, farmers and food producers in Australia, Lithuania and Slovakia have also been slammed with bans by China.
There are reports that the Chinese government are targeting supporters of President Tsai Ing-wen who are mostly fishermen and are sceptics of China’s ruling party.
Last year, the grouper production by Taiwan amounted to about 16,940 tons at the export volume of 6,781 tons, the country’s Fisheries Department said. China accounts for 91 per cent of the grouper’s export.
Pressure by China on Taiwan grows
The report said China reported three cases of malachite green in the Taiwanese grouper in 2021.
Taiwan President, Tsai said that after confirming the safety of the fish and bolstering the control of chemical use, the country has addressed those concerns, but Chinese authorities did not follow up or provide further scientific evidence.
There is tension between China and Taiwan which is an island democracy that refused to be ruled by Communist China. The country considers Taiwan its own territory and has recently mounted diplomatic and economic force on it, including military threats.
Nigerians on edge
The purported discovery of malachite green has put Nigerian fish importers on alert, sparking fears of a possible boycott by consumers who may see the consumption of the grouper as poisonous.
Malachite green, an organic compound, is used in dyed stuff, and its use as an antimicrobial in aquaculture has sparked controversy all over the world.
Fish importation: Nigeria spends $1.2bn annually - Emefiele
Legit.ng reported that according to a report filed by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Emefiele said this while briefing some state governors and the media on the achievements made in the agriculture sector so far in Abuja on Thursday, September 19.
The CBN governor explained that current fish production stood at 0.8 million tons while the demand was 2.7 million tons, giving a deficit of 1.9 million tons.
He said the CBN's current initiative was to engage the governors in coastal states to develop the blue economy to address the deficit of 1.9metric tons and put an end to the huge import bill for fish.
Source: Legit.ng
