TAIPEI: Taiwan has emerged as the biggest beef export market for Japan in 2018, less than a year following the island’s resumption of beef imports from the Northeast Asian country.
Japan exported a total of 3,799 tons of beef last year, hitting a record high with 28 percent year-on-year growth, the Nikkei reports. Taiwan joined Hong Kong, Singapore, and a number of Asian countries and areas as the major beef importers for Japan.
Taiwan ceased such imports from Japan in 2001 due to an outbreak of BSE (commonly known as mad cow disease), and lifted the trade restrictions in 2017 after a 16-year hiatus.
Citing an official from Meat-Companion, a local meat wholesaler, the report suggests that Europe and the U.S. prefer sirloin beef for steaks, while Asian cuisines boast greater diversity in cooking methods. The fact could lead to the growing amount of beef consumption.
According to the Nikkei, Japanese beef industry is coveting the market of China, which has not yet removed import restrictions over Japan’s beef products. China’s growing class of wealthy consumers is likely to crave more for prime beef, Japan’s beef suppliers believe.
