Third consecutive week of price increases.
“A little up. But it seems to be stabilising,” said one buyer about salmon prices. He referred to the following price levels, to the farmer, for fish to be delivered in the coming week:
2–3 kg: NOK 66–67 ($6.60–$6.70 / €5.68–€5.76)
3–4 kg: NOK 74 ($7.40 / €6.36)
4–5 kg: NOK 75 ($7.50 / €6.45)
5+ kg: NOK 76 ($7.60 / €6.54)
Driven by China
“There’s a lot of 6+ kilo fish. In many markets, that size is priced lower than 5+. The airfreight market has slowed down,” he told SalmonBusiness.
But prices are still on the rise.
“A little up on average, not by much. A couple of kroner more than last week. We can live with that, I think.”
The price levels mentioned above were confirmed by several market sources.
“That’s spot on,” said one trader. “But there are extreme volumes of 6+ fish. China has been incredibly strong for a long time now. Without that demand, 6+ would be trading below the 3–6 kg sizes. The only reason 6+ is holding up is China.”
Large fish must go by air
“I’ve heard those prices, and they sound right, but they’re not levels we can buy at right now. We’re trading at NOK 75–78 ($7.50–$7.80 / €6.45–€6.71),” said one exporter.
“There’s a surprising amount of large fish in the market that has to go by air. Prices are climbing. The question now is whether the market will accept it,” said another exporter.
A salmon farmer reported slightly higher prices.
“4–5 kg is trading at NOK 78.50–79 ($7.85–$7.90 / €6.75–€6.79) in Oslo. NOK 80.50 ($8.05 / €6.92) for 5–6 kg. But we’ve sold very little,” he said.
