Spot prices are close to the lowest level of the year for next week.
“It is relatively stable. Nothing special up or down on any of the sizes we see right now then. Same [farm gate] price as last Friday, a salmon trainer told iLaks. [factbox]
- 2-3 kilos NOK 40
- 3-4 kilos NOK 44-46
- 4-5 kilos NOK 47-48
- 5-6 kilo NOK 48-50
- 6+ kilos NOK 50-60
A market defined by price stability – at high sales volumes – is the tune being played by the industrial players Salmon Business has talked to Friday.
“We feel that some customers are building inventories. Freezing capacity is beginning to be a bottleneck right now. They take what they can manage. There are good harvesting volumes out of Norway at the moment,” adds a smokehouse purchaser.
However, several sources see a marginal decline in salmon prices.
“A slight fall, maybe one NOK down. At all sizes really. Most pressure on 5+ [kilos]. People will not pay more than for 4-5,” says an exporter. “We probably have 150 tons of 5+. We can not sell everything on [intercontinental] airfreight, for the first time in a long while. 6+ is pressed. It is possible that we’ll have to freeze 6+.”
The slaughterhouses are running large fish volumes.
“There will be more fish next week. 28,000 tons [total harvesting volume from Norway].” And that’s how it’s going to be for a few weeks, he thinks. “There’s good growth in the sea. We can not expect prices above NOK 50 in a while.”
A competing exporter agrees with that description.
“We’ll be referring steady or slightly down. Increased volume, and at least the price is stable,” he adds.
