Feed plants have enjoyed hectic activity in recent months. In just four weeks 31 to 34, fish Norwegian feed suppliers sold over 200,000 tonnes of salmon and trout feed.
Good growth in the sea is highlighted by many observers as a key reason for the heavy fall in salmon prices we’ve seen in late summer. Salmon appetite is good and it grows and thrives – and biomass increases.
This is especially the case for trout.
Read more: “The fall in prices is a temporary problem”
Significantly more
According to Akvafakta, 202,908 tonnes of dry feed were sold for salmon and trout in weeks 31 to 34. It is now high season for feeding and growth in the sea.
While salmon feed sales are up 12 per-cent so far this year compared to the same period last year, trout feed has increased by 33 per-cent. This suggests that there will be significantly more trout to sell in the months ahead.
And the trout market is already under pressure.
Spot prices
According to the export statistics from the Norwegian Seafood Council, the average export price (including export fees, delivered the Norwegian border – ed. note) for freshly packed trout with a head of EUR 5 in week 35. In comparison, the salmon export price for the same week was EUR 5.6.
It is worth noting that the export price does not differentiate between spot and fixed contract prices. Spot prices are now significantly lower than contract prices.
The important EU market, led by the processing and transit country Poland, bought trout at export prices between EUR 4.5 and EUR 4.6 per kilograms in week 35.
Prices are lowered by increased harvest and sales activity. So far this year, Norwegian exporters have sold 19 per cent more trout than at the same time last year, export statistics show. A total of 21,810 tonnes of fresh trout have been exported this year. In addition to 4,230 tonnes of frozen head-on gutted trout and 3,108 tonnes of frozen head-off gutted trout.
