HAIKOU, November 29. /TASS/. The first shipment of live Kamchatka crabs from Russia was delivered directly to the city of Sanya located in Hainan Province (China's south) on November 25, Sanya Daily reported.

The cargo arrived on an Aeroflot flight from Moscow. In total, the importing company, Sanya Huannong Group, purchased 3 tons of live king crabs. It is reported that this is the first batch of crabs to be delivered directly to Sanya from overseas. It is also the first time a local state-owned company has traded imported seafood, the newspaper said.

Previously, the supply channels for Kamchatka crab to Sanya were fragmented. Local suppliers had to buy them through various outlets in other regions of China, mainly through Hongchun, Jilin, Weihai, Shandong, Shanghai and Guangzhou. This ultimately affected the price which made the product inaccessible to a large portion of the customers.

According to a spokesperson for the importing company, this shipment was made directly from the manufacturer with only a few intermediaries, thus reducing the price for the end consumer. The company pointed out that this not only cuts down on transportation time and provides flexibility in the sourcing mechanism, but also lowers the cost of the delivered products.

The crabs are sent directly to Sanya Huannong Group's seafood collection and distribution center for cultivation and gradual sale to the market. This 3,000 square meter center is the largest seafood collection and distribution facility in Hainan Province. The center is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities for fresh seafood cultivation, cold storage and product processing.