Source: Undercurrentnews
The lagoon price for tilapia (500-800g) in Guangxi was also at 9.60 yuan/kg in week 29, while the price in Hainan was slightly lower than the other two provinces, at 8,8. 80 yuan/kg. Fish prices in Guangdong and Guangxi have remained higher than 9.0 yuan/kg since March this year.
For smaller fish (300-500g), farm prices in Guangdong stood at RMB 7.63/kg in week 29, while prices in Guangxi stood at RMB 8.37/kg, up 4.6% y/y. with the previous month.
In Zhaoqing, a tilapia production district in Guangdong, the price of tilapia in the lagoon is trending up. The price of small fish (300-500g) is currently 7.2 yuan/kg and 500g and above is 8.8 yuan/kg, while the market price of tilapia (650g or more) is 10.6 RMB/kg.
For fish farmers, the current price is “acceptable”, but the hot summer weather causes many fish deaths, which has reduced production and pushed up prices. Another tilapia producer in Guangdong attributed the increase in tilapia prices to a shortage of larger fish. Tilapia farmers tend to shorten the farming process to harvest smaller fish to ensure a lower mortality rate and make a small profit.
Extreme weather has been a problem for tilapia farming in China this year. In early 2021, tilapia supplies were affected due to lower fish survival due to the cold winter in Guangdong province.
Meanwhile, the situation in Hainan – another major tilapia production center in China – is similar to Guangdong.
Data provided by Hainan Tilapia Alliance shows that the price at the tilapia lagoon (size 500g and above) in the province was 8.4 yuan/kg last Wednesday (July 21), while The price of tilapia at the processing plant is 8.8 yuan/kg. Both prices are down slightly from last week.
Nantong-based seafood supplier Ocean Treasure recently said the central government had tightened controls on tilapia farming to reduce water pollution. This restriction is expected to affect the source of raw materials in the new season.
