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Higher seafood consumption predicted in China

China’s government has set an ambitious target to sharply increase consumption of seafood by the Chinese populace over the next 10 years. 

In its “2018-2027 Outlook for Agriculture,” China’s Agriculture Ministry, which oversees fisheries, projects the consumption of aquatic products will increase to 25 kilograms per capita overall, with the figure rising to 30 kilograms per capita in urban areas. The ministry report points to seafood as a more efficient protein source compared to meat, with added dietary benefits.

This would represent a major increase in consumption in China. In 2015, the figure was 14.3 kilograms and 5.3 kilograms, respectively, for urban and rural areas, according to Chinese government data. Yet survey data from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) suggests those levels of consumption were already reached in 2009. 

Data on China’s per capita seafood consumption is typically calculated by dividing the total supply of seafood (local and imported minus exports) by the country’s population. Various estimates put per capita seafood consumption at between 40 and 45 kilograms per capita…

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