While the lowest fish sizes fall in price next week, the big salmon will be more expensive.
As we approach midsummer sea temperatures are rising. This has given the farmers both increased growth, harvesting and challenges with fish health.[factbox]
“5+ has gone very well. There are not that much big fish. But there is a lot of small fish, a lot of ISA harvesting and [production] trouble on small fish in some places, a lot of 1-2 and 2-3 kg”, said an exporter to SalmonBusiness.
“Here in the south [of Norway] it’s going at full speed. All the processors are packed”, he added.
Big differences
“2-3 kg 49 kroner (EUR 4.9), 3-4 kg 54-55 kroner (EUR 5.4-5.5), 4-5 kg 59-60 kroner (EUR 5.9-6.0), 5-6 kg 65 kroner (EUR 6.5), 6+ is 70 kroner (EUR 7.0)”, he recounted.
“Incredibly large price difference between the low and high weight classes. Such a large price difference is seldom seen”, he said and pointed in particular to a demanding fish health situation as an obvious explanation.
This means that the light weights 2-3 and 3-4 kg go down in price compared to last Friday. While the big salmon, especially over six kilos, is rising.
The uncertainty in pricing seems to be greatest for 3-4 kilos of salmon, where the farmgate prices vary between NOK 54 and 57 (EUR 5.4-5-7), according to the industrial sources SalmonBusiness has spoken to after lunch on Friday.
Weighting
“57/61/67+”, wrote an exporter in a SMS with reference to prices for the most traded weight classes, three to six kilos.
The direction of the average price, of all weight classes, depends on how one weighs the entire harvest volume. But the highest demand is, not least from the air freight market, for the heaviest salmon.
“I think it’s going up. I last bought for 73 kroner (EUR 7.3), delivered at [Oslo Airport] Gardermoen for 6+”, said an exporter.
