About 200 kilograms of live gloydius brevicaudus worth $11,400 was exported from east China’s Zhejiang Province to Japan for the first time, according to Zhejiang Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau on Jan. 22, China News reported.

The snake species, widespread in China, is popular around the world. Apart from edibleness, it has high medical value and can be used as pharmaceutical ingredients in drugs.

Jiaxing City, Zhejiang, with a booming snake breeding industry, exports a large number of snake powder and dried snakes to other countries every year.

Successful export of the snakes to Japan was attributed to the bureau’s guidance to the Jiaxing-based company to help it improve awareness and epidemic prevention and properly avoid technical barriers to trade.

Shen Yongchun, general manager of the company, noted that under the professional guidance, their company is much more confident about going global.

Shen added that the company exports 6-9 tons of dried snakes and 6-10 tons of snake powder to other countries every year, totaling about 7 million yuan ($1.1 million) in sales. Exporting live snakes to Japan is not only a first for the province, but also opens up a new market overseas for the company.