Report on Possible Demand for Giant Clam Meat by Tongan Descendants in Australia: Inferences from Interviews Conducted in the Brisbane Area

Clement Tisdell and Rene Wittenberg

No 206477, Research Reports and Papers in Economics of Giant Clam Mariculture from University of Queensland, School of Economics

Abstract: The giant clam has been a traditional source of food among Pacific Islanders. Thus migrants and their descendants from these nations living in Australia might still want to maintain giant clam meat as part of their diet. Members of the Tongan community in Brisbane were interviewed in December 1989 and January 1990 in order to find out if this hypothesis holds. Information was collected in order to determine the size of the Tongan community in Australia, what quantities of clam meat they are prepared to buy at, what prices and the type of product they are looking for. Although the Tongan community is relatively small in Australia (about 10,000 – 15,000 persons) it could represent a substantial market because of the quantities of clam meat Tongan families plan to purchase (1 – 4 kg/week per family) even at relatively high prices (AUS$5 – 12/kg). More importantly however, Tongans are prepared to buy the meat of the whole clam and not just the adductor muscle. In the past the adductor muscle has been the focus for meat marketing. But the value of the meat of a whole clam may be greater than for the adductor muscle alone, even though the price of the meat of the whole clam is moderate compared to that of the adductor muscle. Tongans in combination with other Pacific Islander communities (if the latter have similar consumption pattern as appears likely) could turn out to be a very profitable market for giant clam industry in Australia, and may provide scope for imports from the Pacific Islands themselves.

Keywords: Demand and Price Analysis; Livestock Production/Industries (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 22
Date: 1990-02
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:uqsegc:206477

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.206477

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