Tilapia Exports Hit Hard by US-China Tariff Policies, Prices Plunge Off a Cliff!
On April 9, the US imposed a 150% tariff on Chinese tilapia, causing farm-gate prices in Guangdong and Hainan to plummet, with processing plants halting purchases and export orders frozen.
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Tilapia Exports Hit Hard by US-China Tariff Policies, Prices Plunge!
In the early hours of April 9, a new round of US "reciprocal tariffs" on China officially took effect, pushing the already-imposed 25% import tariff on tilapia to 150% overnight. As soon as the tariff news broke, markets in Guangdong and Hainan, China's main tilapia-producing regions, reacted immediately: raw material prices plummeted off a cliff, farm-gate purchasing fell into chaos, and export companies began urgently halting orders.
In Guangdong, export processing plants had already notified farmers on April 8, announcing a comprehensive cut in all tilapia purchase prices starting the next day. The price for sizes above 1 jin fell from 4.65 yuan per jin last week to 4 yuan, while the 6 liang to 1 jin size dropped from 3.65 yuan to 3 yuan—a decline of as much as 0.65 yuan/jin, the largest single-week drop in recent years.
"We have no choice but to push prices down, otherwise we simply can't operate," a processing plant manager in the Pearl River Delta told reporters. Currently, orders for export to the US have been largely suspended, and domestic channels cannot absorb export-grade large-size fish in the short term, causing pressure on the purchasing side to surge. "It's not a question of whether we make a profit or not—it's that no one dares to buy at all."
The situation in Hainan is also far from optimistic. Starting Monday of this week, several processing plants lowered purchase prices by about 0.2 yuan per jin. Although the margin is less drastic than in Guangdong, market sentiment is generally pessimistic. Some companies have even completely stopped placing orders with farmers, fearing that fish prices will continue to plunge and create inventory risks.
It is understood that the core trigger for this round of price declines is precisely the extreme tariffs imposed by the US on Chinese aquatic products. Tilapia is one of the most important single species in US-China aquatic trade. In 2024, China exported 127,700 tons of tilapia to the US, with an export value of 425 million USD, accounting for about one-quarter of China's total exports. Previously, due to factors such as raw material shortages and exchange rate fluctuations, export prices were already at high levels, and this tariff increase directly broke the price equilibrium point.
It is worth noting that this round of tariff increases is not a single measure. US President Trump had earlier imposed two rounds of 10% tariffs on Chinese goods, and on April 9, after China announced retaliatory tariffs of 34%, the US further raised its "reciprocal tariffs" on China to 125%. Because tilapia was already included in the Section 301 list with an additional 25%, the combined actual tariff rate now reaches as high as 150%.
"This is no longer a minor adjustment—this is a blockade," an industry insider said bluntly. Facing a combined tariff of 150%, it is difficult for any exporter to maintain profitability. Even if US wholesale prices rise by about 5%, it is still hard to make up for the cost gap.
Not only has the export outlook suddenly been extinguished, but the domestic market also faces a new round of "backflow" risk. Currently, China's annual tilapia production is about 1.7 million tons, of which more than half is used for export. Once large volumes of export product are diverted to the domestic market, it will inevitably lead to an imbalance between supply and demand, and a price war will be unavoidable. Starting in June, the country will enter a large-scale fish harvest peak. "Fish prices may fall further," a Guangxi aquatic product trader told reporters.
Against this backdrop, China's tilapia industry is accelerating its search for breakthroughs in other international markets, including emerging consumer regions such as the EU, Africa, and the Middle East. However, multiple export company executives have said that in the short term it is almost impossible to find a replacement market with the same volume as the US, especially for high-standard fillet products, where markets outside Europe and the US still have limited absorption capacity.
"The second half of 2025 may be the most difficult period in the past decade," a veteran exporter in Guangdong lamented. Fish prices are falling, orders are frozen, and channels are unclear—"almost every link is under heavy pressure."
At present, processing plants have comprehensively compressed capacity and stopped purchasing new fish. The industry is calling on the government and industry organizations to introduce assistance policies, such as export credit support and market diversion subsidies, to help enterprises and farmers get through the winter.
From "export star" to "high-tariff island," China's tilapia industry is facing unprecedented external challenges and internal restructuring. This round of price collapse and export stagnation may be only the first wave of impact under the new trade landscape.
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