The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) is seeking more pork export opportunities in the Chinese market, with members exhibiting at the China International Meat Industry Exhibition (CIMIE).
The board is aiming to use the event, which has been running since Thursday (April 20) and is finishing up today (Saturday, April 22), to help it boost exports of UK pork to China which are up 28% in value on the same period of time last year.
AHDB’s export team has returned to the event for the first time since November 2019 due to Covid-19 related travel restrictions.
AHDB also said that further five exporters from the UK will join it on the British Meat Pavilion at China’s leading trade show for meat, SIAL China, at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre.
The three-day show, which will host around 4,500 global exhibitors and over 150,000 visitors, runs from May 18-20, 2023.
According to the latest figures from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), in January, almost 11,000t of pig meat was shipped to China, worth more than £18.5 million.
The UK exported over 126,000t of pig meat to China last year worth £203 million – resulting in China remaining the leading market for UK pork exports, AHDB said.
AHDB’s head of Asia Pacific, Jonathan Eckley, said: “We are excited to be returning to China with our pork exporters for two major events which provide a platform to promote our pork, whilst developing and maintaining relationships with buyers across Asia.
“China remains the largest export market for our pork products and it’s imperative that we continue to build all important relationships with key importers, as face to face meetings are particularly important in China.
“It will be fantastic to be able to host the UK’s leading exporters in person in China for the first time since November 2019 and reconnect with our in-market stakeholders and showcase ‘Quality Pork from Britain’ at these professional industry shows, to find further opportunities to grow our shipments.”
