Trade and Investment Minister Joe Szakacs has today met with leading Japanese importers of our state's Southern Bluefin Tuna, backing in local exporters of the world's cleanest, highest quality fish while in Tokyo on a trade mission.
Owing to a weaker Japanese Yen, the value received by our exporters has dipped in recent years, however our premium tuna remains in strong demand in the world's largest tuna import market.
South Australia exported more than 6,000 tonnes of tuna to Japan in the year ending August 2024, valued at $58 million, the majority frozen with a small quantity fresh or chilled. Local exporters also sold 124 tonnes of oysters and molluscs valued at almost $5 million in the same time period.
Minister Szakacs, having discussions this morning at the world's largest seafood market, Tokyo's Toyosu Fish Market, has championed our local exporters and South Australian Southern Bluefin Tuna to ensure the state's relationship with Japanese importers remains strong.
The trade mission is providing on opportunity to further leverage the Malinauskas Government's $475,000 Seafood Export Growth Program, which is focused on market diversification and activation to support exporters of Southern Bluefin Tuna and other seafood species.
A key pillar of the program is supporting SA seafood exporters to attend major international trade events, including next year's World Expo in Osaka.
South Australia is a Gold Sponsor of the Australia Pavilion at the Osaka Expo, and will feature Southern Bluefin Tuna in event menus, food sampling and cooking shows, video promotion and Japanese retail giant Rakuten sales promotions.
The Malinauskas Government is further supporting the industry through a Tuna Meister program, which involves well-known Japanese chefs creating menus using Southern Bluefin Tuna for their restaurants, at-home recipes for supermarkets and the Cook-Pad recipe site, and sharing on social media.
As put by Joe Szakacs
As Minister for Trade and Investment, I take great pride in backing our seafood exporters, knowing that South Australia's southern bluefin tuna, as well as our oysters and lobster are the cleanest and highest quality in the world.
It was fantastic to visit the world's foremost seafood market – where so much of South Australia's premium produce is sold – to continue important discussions, reminding Japanese importers of our product, and our continued commitment as a government to supporting our seafood industry.
Demand for our tuna has always been high, and we remain committed to keeping it that way in spite of any challenges we face.
I'm very proud to represent South Australia's seafood exporters and continue to promote activities under the Seafood Export Growth Program – a $475,000 commitment to support diversification and activation in new markets, attend major international trade events and bring seafood importers to South Australia for familiarisation visits.
