On July 14, 7,000 kilograms of live eels were shipped to Southeast Asia after inspection and clearance by the Changde Customs Authority. This marks Hunan's "first-ever" eel product export, opening a new export channel for its high-value-added specialty aquaculture industry and revitalizing regional aquaculture production capacity.

"This batch of exported freshwater eels has been raised for over 18 months, featuring tender meat and few bones. It offers high nutritional value with rich, slightly sweet fat and collagen-rich skin. Its price is thus much higher than that of ordinary aquatic products," said Zhang Shoudai, manager of an aquaculture company in Hanshou County.

Eel is a high-value-added specialty aquatic product with high economic returns in farming and broad market prospects, making it a key category for Hunan's aquaculture transformation and upgrading, as well as rural revitalization. Previously, though long engaged in the domestic market, Hunan's eel farming companies had not broken into the international market due to multiple factors. The advantages of high-quality aquatic resources could not be transformed into international trade benefits.

To help local specialty aquatic products to go global, the Changde Customs Authority has precisely aligned with the needs of aquaculture export enterprises within its jurisdiction, guiding them in improving the registration, production control, and traceability system for export-oriented aquatic animal farms. It also provided detailed interpretations of overseas market access standards and tailored full-process customs clearance support plans.

This article is from Hunan Provincial Government. www.enghunan.gov.cn.

Translator: Pang Yuehui

Chinese source: hunantoday