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Kamaboko Industry Group Demands Lower Duty on Imported Surimi

September 29, 2008

Kimio Kotani, heading the National Federation of Kamaboko Fisheries Products Cooperatives and the Federation of Kneaded Products Association, filed a demand for measures against the high raw surimi material costs to Secretary of Fisheries Agency Shuji Yamada on September 22, 2008.

“Despite the prices of pollack surimi, raw material of kamaboko, having been soaring since last year, surimi supply volume has not decreased that much; the prices are walking alone. Some kamaboko traders have withdrawn from the industry, causing kamaboko, a traditional food commodity, to vanish from the world,” explained Kotani, requesting some measures, including lower surimi duty.

Demands are as follows:

1.	Establishment of domestic surimi supply system, development of the industry, and support for technology development;
2.	Establishment of the surveillance system of the volatile foreign surimi price fluctuations and supervision on information disclosure;
3.	Reduction of duties on foreign surimi, pollack surimi in particular, as low as golden threadfin bream;
4.	Fundamental reinforcement measures for the industry’s hassle free operation.

Original article was published on September 29, 2008; translated by Kiyo Hayasaka

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