SFF to focus on growing Chinese market

After MAF's Outlook report noting the growth of our exports into China, this story on Silver Fern Farms interest in expanding its trade to that country, will be of interest.

Their exports to that nation are now only second behind the UK in volume, but what is needed now is a more focused campaign on higher value cuts, for lamb beef and venison, in the restaurant trade.

Cooper and SFF chairman Eoin Garden recently returned from a trip with Trade Minister Tim Groser on a trade mission to the Shanghai Expo, targeting growth in both meat and seafood trade with China reports Stuff.

While meat exports to China were growing steadily and that country ranked number two behind the United Kingdom in terms of volume for SFF, alternative export strategies would be used to diversify from the lower end meat product, Cooper said. By 2025 China would have 15 cities with populations of more than 25 million and 22 cities with greater than 10 million people. Their government was focused on the security of food safety and supply, and NZ was well placed in this regard.

After 13 years of exporting red meat to China SFF was now focused on supplying higher value lamb, beef and venison products into specialty niche segments, including the restaurant trade, he said.Restaurant chiefs, often from outside China, would be able to introduce these meat products to the Chinese and their traditional eating habits. You see very little lamb primal cuts in Chinese supermarkets, there's masses of pork and chicken ... where we see the opportunity is the large range of five-star western hotels, restaurants that may well in time adapt their menus for lamb."

The SFF board was still to meet and decide on the fine-tuned strategy for China and marketing new products.