High harvesting activity in a market where the salmon price goes sideways.
“The customers want the price down, the exporters say it is stable and the farmers want it up,” sums up an exporter to SalmonBusiness. “There is a krone (EUR 0.1) between the sizes. The average is around NOK 60 (EUR 6),” he estimates.
“All sizes over NOK 60 (EUR 6). NOK 61-62-63 (EUR 6.1-6.2-6.3) for three to six kilos,” says a fish farmer.[factbox]
“4-5 kg go for NOK 62-64 (EUR 6.2-6.4),” says another farmer, adding that 6+ kg are offered for around NOK 70 (EUR 7).
Freeze
“The market is unstable. There will be a lot of fish ahead. We think we will struggle,” says an exporter, before elaborating: “We are unable to get customers to freeze enough fish. They do not know whether the prices will be two kroner (EUR 0.2) per kilowatt or ten kroner (EUR 1.0) per kilowatt, they do not get guarantees.
“In Norway, people freeze [fish]. There is high activity in the north, but we are dependent on being able to freeze fish in Europe now. For stock building, they don’t eat the fish now. There is unpredictability in electricity and logistics.”
However, he does not see major movements in the salmon price for the coming week.
“The price is perhaps down a krone (EUR 0.1) from last Friday. No major changes,” he says, and refers to the following farmgate prices:
- 2-3 kg NOK 51 (EUR 5.1)
- 3-4 kg NOK 58 (EUR 5.8)
- 4-5 kg NOK 60 (EUR 6.0)
- 5-6 kg NOK 62 (EUR 6.2)
Capital
“The small fish are under pressure,” he says. “We freeze on our own book, and put in stock for the next six months. The odds are good, but it’s expensive. One must have capital. We have capital. There was a gap of a few weeks, but now we have obtained freezer packaging.”
Prices going sideways are undisputed among all SalmonBusiness’ industry sources on Friday.
“Around NOK 60 plus/minus (EUR 6.0), that’s where it lies. Stable,” agrees a third exporter.
“58/59/60,” writes a fourth exporter in an SMS.
