Chinese mitten crabs exported to Africa

Photo taken with a mobile phone shows customs officials checking crabs at Dongting Lake area in central China's Hunan Province, Nov. 10, 2021. (Changsha Customs/Handout via Xinhua)

Chinese mitten crabs weighing 438 kilograms were on Wednesday exported by air to Nairobi, capital of Kenya. It was China's first export of the species to an African country.

The deal was facilitated by the second China-Africa Economic and Trade Expo held in September in central China's Hunan Province.

After a series of hygiene inspections and export procedures, the first batch of freshwater crabs departed from Changsha, capital of Hunan, via a local airport early on Wednesday morning (Beijing Time).

The crabs were bred in Dongting Lake, China's second-largest freshwater lake, according to local customs.

The goods arrived in Nairobi around noon on Wednesday (Beijing Time). They were labeled and put on the market following customs clearance.

According to the contract, another 3 tonnes to 4 tonnes of Dongting Lake crabs are expected to be exported to the African city within the year.

Chinese people have a custom of eating crab in the autumn, when the meat is at its best. The tradition can be traced back to the Han Dynasty (202 B.C.-A.D. 220).

Crabs are considered auspicious as the Chinese word for crab is "xie," which is pronounced the same as the Chinese word for "thanks."