China starts import of dried sea cucumber from Kenya

CHANGSHA, Sept. 28 (Xinhua) -- A batch of Kenyan dried sea cucumbers, weighing 300 kg, were transported to Changsha Huanghua International Airport in central China's Hunan Province, marking the first time that China has imported such products from Kenya.

Sea cucumber, known for being high in protein, low in fat and low in cholesterol, has enjoyed growing popularity among Chinese consumers.

According to Changsha Customs, sea cucumber products imported by China mainly come from North America, northern Europe and other places, and China's import of such products from Kenya has enriched its import channels.

In the first eight months of this year, Hunan imported about 300 million yuan (about 42.8 million U.S. dollars) of agricultural products from Africa, a year-on-year increase of 31.9 percent, according to the customs. ■