US-China relations: America’s lobster exporters braced for Lunar New Year hit as orders dry up despite 2020 recovery
- Lunar New Year is typically one of the busiest parts of the calendar for US lobster shippers, who send millions of US dollars to China every year
- China bought around US$95 million in lobsters from America in 2020 until November having fallen to about US$51 million for the whole of 2019
America’s lobster exporters recovered from the Trump-era trade war with China to have a good 2020, but the industry is approaching one of the most critical times of the year with trepidation because of the coronavirus.
The Lunar New Year is typically one of the busiest parts of the calendar for America’s lobster shippers, who send millions of US dollars worth of the crustaceans to China every year.
That is because shipping is complicated this winter by the threat of the coronavirus, and Mike Marceau, vice-president of The Lobster Company in Arundel, Maine, said he is not expecting many exports.
We’ve just lost getting a Chinese New Year because of Covid
Business would normally be booming right now, and it has ground to a halt, Marceau said. It disappointing because the last spring and summer were fairly strong, he added.