Comvita’s business in China has picked up some of the sales normally served by daigou traders.
Border closures as a result of Covid-19 have hindered the popular daigou honey trade, where international tourists, students and other private traders ship honey to China, but mānuka honey company Comvita is confident the market will recover.
In February, the country’s largest producer and marketer of honey and bee-related products said its New Zealand and Australian sales fell 21 per cent to $18 million in the six months to the end of December 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic shut international borders and disrupted shipping, pushing up freight costs.