Cambodia Tienit International Trading has increased live lobster exports to Chinese markets. In the first two months of the year, the company exported over two tonnes of live lobsters, while in the final three months of 2023, just over a single tonne was shipped.
Chea Kimlong, a consultant at Tienit, explained on March 12 that this year, the company has been buying large quantities of live lobsters from Cambodian fishermen for export.
He added that the Kingdom’s lobsters are popular in the Chinese market because of their quality and rich flavour.
However, he expressed concerns that prices were increasing, making it more difficult to purchase the quantities needed to fulfil Chinese orders.
“There are many wholesalers competing to buy them, both from here and from abroad. As the lunar Chinese New Year approached [in February], prices rose as high as $90 per kilogramme. The Chinese side offered us about the same price,” he said.
Kimlong added that as the lobsters must be purchased live, their purchase and shipping is complex. He also revealed that the company is planning to begin the export of other maritime products in the future.
Im Rachna, spokesperson for the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, explained that the live lobsters exported to Chinese – and other – markets are caught in the wild, rather than farmed.
“Lobsters are more abundant during the cool period from September to January. From February to May, as temperatures rise, they become rarer. This is a simple fact of lobster biology. Naturally, when catches are lighter, and yields are down, they increase in value,” she said.
She added that seasonal prices could vary by up to 30 per cent, depending on the creatures’ availability. In addition to Chinese brokers, Vietnamese buyers are also entering the market, thanks to the high quality of the local product.
“In addition to the Chinese market for our live lobsters, more and more Vietnamese are seeking them out. This is because they are of high-quality, with tasty flesh. Cambodia supports the free market, so we will not permit any form of monopoly or sell exclusively to any one country,” she continued.