North China port sees surge in imports of frozen meat

TIANJIN, May 26 (Xinhua) -- Tianjin Port in north China handled imports of 611,000 tonnes of frozen meat from January to April, representing a surge of 75.3 percent year on year, according to Tianjin Customs on Tuesday.

Tianjin is a major port of entry for meat heading to markets in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province. It saw 308,000 tonnes of imported frozen pork in the first four months, up 156.9 percent year on year, while imported frozen beef totaled 242,000 tonnes in the same period, up 43.7 percent.

Imported meat has provided strong support for stabilizing the domestic meat market and meeting demand for domestic consumption amid the COVID-19 epidemic, according to customs officials.

Imports from the European Union, Brazil and Argentina jointly accounted for 60.4 percent of total frozen-meat imports via the port.