Overview of seafood exports from Russia's Far East in April 2010
In April 2010 the general activity of shipments of seafood products from the Russian Far East to key markets has noticeably increased partly thanks to very quickly developing shipments of pollock roe. Fairly high results have been reported for bottomfish shipments, the species range including cod, halibut, flounder and Atka mackerel. Besides, shipments of shrimps and crabs have also grown more active, but the import volumes of crabs have still remained below the last year results. Shipments of salmons have been also weak even taking into account a traditional downturn in low season, according to the overview prepared by analysts of http://www.megafishnet.com/ (https://www.fishnet.ru/) based on Japanese and Russian sources.
Pollock roe
In April 2010 import of frozen pollock roe of the Russian origin to Japan and South Korea dramatically increased while the activity of import shipments to China was far from expectations. However, shipments of the Russian raw material for processing to China could be probably peaking in May and June, because at the closing stage of seasonal shipments traders were already offering mostly products of the quality not fully meeting the strict requirements of the Japanese market.
The volume of the Japanese import through the month jumped more than five times and reached 7500 tonnes through the month, three times up on the result of April 2009, when offers at auctions in Busan were also comparably high. The average import price for April 2010 quite expectedly rose nearly by 16.5% and reached the level of 800 Yen per kilo (namely amounting to 806 Yen per kilo (ca.8.70 USD per kilo). The average indications for the period from the beginning of the year were somewhat higher, though still being more than 20% below the last year result. At the same time, according to some forecasts, the price balance in May 2010 would be quite the opposite as the main price fall at last year auctions was observed in May.
South Korean import of the Russian raw material in April 2010 as compared to May 2010 jumped by more than 160% to ca.1150 tonnes, and the period from the beginning of the year it rose nearly by 67% and practically reached the level of 2000 tonnes (the Japanese import approximated the level of 10,000 tonnes, rising more than 2.5 times). The average import price in April 2010 rose by 7% through the month and reached 6.70 USD per kilo, still being 22.5% below the last year indications.
Import of Russian products to China was limited to only 300 tonnes in April 2010, 52.5% down on March 2010. Nevertheless, as compared to last year the import results in April appeared to be nearly three times higher and the total import volume since the beginning of the year jumped more than five times as compared to last year. The average import price rose by more than 75% to 7.15 USD per kilo, and in April 2010 it already amounted to 8.07 USD per kilo, 70% up on the last year results, though declining by 3.5 on March 2010.
The total import volume of frozen pollock roe of the Russian origin to these three directions reached the level of 13,000 tonnes as per the end of April 2010, of which only in April 2010 the import shipments exceeded 9000 tonnes. In March-April 2010 nearly 11,500 tonnes of Russian products from the season of 2010 were already cleared at customs of Japan, South Korea and China, which was at least three times up on the respective result of 2009. The rise was attributed both to the general increase of production on the Russian grounds in the Sea of Okhotsk and to very early start of active sales.
Salmon
Just like in March 2010, in April 2010 shipments of Russian salmon to China were not registered and the total volume of import since the beginning of the year amounted to only 220 tonnes, 93% down on the import volume in January-April 2009. On the other hand, the average import price (CIF) rose by 48% and reached 2.40 USD per kilo, a comparably high result for general price level for the Russian shipments of frozen pink salmon and chum salmon to China.
The volume of the Japanese import of frozen sockeye of the Russian origin in April 2010 was limited to ca.20 tonnes, and the total result since the beginning of the year amounted to ca.80 tonnes, 20 times down on January-April 2009 (ca.1620 tonnes). The average import price in April 2010 declined by more than 30% on March 2010 to the level of 640 Yen per kilo (ca.6.95 USD per kilo), but as compared to last year it appeared to be by 25% higher and the average indications through the period of the first four months of the year 2010 rose by nearly 85% to 830 Yen per kilo.
The volume of the Japanese import of other Pacific salmon species harvested by the Russian fleets was limited to less than 10 tonnes per the end of April 2010. In April 2010, just like in March 2010, import shipments were not registered at all. A similar situation was also observed last year with the average import price leveling at 500 Yen per kilo. Sales could be described as fairly successful.
As for import of frozen Russian salmon roe to Japan, in April 2010 it was practically suspended with the import volume reported at only 2 tonnes versus nearly 50 tonnes in March 2010, though last year the import shipments discontinued even earlier and in April 2009 they were not registered at all. Nevertheless, the total import price since the beginning of the year amounted to only ca.510 tonnes, 31% down on the first quarter 2009. The average import price since the beginning of the year rose by 7.5% on March 2010 to ca.1165 Yen per kilo (ca.12.55 USD per kilo), and the average price result for the first four months of the year 2010 amounted to ca.1065 Yen per kilo, 36.5% up on last year.
Herring
Japanese import of frozen Russian herring in April 2010 dramatically stopped after March shipments of 720 tonnes, practically 40% up on last year. As per late April 2010 the import shipments since the beginning of the year totaled 3100 tonnes, 3% up on January-April 2009. The average import price CIF amounted to ca.85 Yen per kilo, less than 7% down on last year. At the same time, import of Russian herring fillets (mostly processed in China) as per end of April 2010 was 41% below the last year result and amounted to only 1270 tonnes, even in April 2010 when it practically doubled to 330 tonnes through the month, it was very much below the last year result (by more than 30%). The average import price for herring fillets was limited to 365 Yen per kilo for the period from the year start, 13% down on last year. In April 2010 it was 8.5% below the result of April 2009, even though it amounted to 387 Yen per kilo (ca.4.20 USD per kilo).
Import of Russian herring to Japan as per late April 2010 was limited to only ca.10 tonnes, still more than two times up on last year. Moreover, only shipments of salted products were reported while shipments of frozen products were not registered at all. The average import price amounted to 610 Yen per kilo, 7% down on last year (mostly due to increased exchange rate of Yen to USD).
Bottomfish
Chinese import of cod species of the Russian origin (evidently, the official data already did not include shipments of pollock, as the registered volumes were comparably small) in April 2010 grew by 165% as compared to extremely low result of March 2010, but it was more than 30% down on the last year result. The total import volume in the first third of the current year turned out to be practically 10,000 tonnes below the last year result and amounted to only 11,300 tonnes. In general, the officially reported import to all the destinations amounted to only ca.37,000 tonnes, ca.6000 tonnes down on last year, though shipments of US products grew by more than 3000 tonnes and approached the level of 10,000 tonnes, and import of the Japanese products grew 2.5 times to nearly 3000 tonnes.
The average import price for the Russian products in April 2010 rose by 25% through the month and reached the level of 2.60 USD per kilo. The average indications for the period from the beginning of the year amounted to ca.2.45 USD per kilo, 20% up on the respective result of last year, while the average price of import to all the sources was limited to 2.20 USD per kilo, only 9% up on last year.
Import of Russian flounder to China in April 2010 reached the level of 1000 tonnes (namely amounted to ca.1100 tonnes) and rose nearly 10 times on last year. Through the period from the start of the year the volume amounted to ca.3400 tonnes, practically five times up on last year. The average import price in April 2010 leveled at ca.1.60 USD per kilo, rising nearly by 15% on last year, but in general for the first four months of the year it grew by less than 10% to ca.1.45 USD per kilo.
In April 2010 China also imported 140 tonnes of frozen Russian halibut (the shipments were represented only by black halibut), 30% down on the import volume in April 2009, but the total import volume for January-April 2010 declined by only 5% to ca.700 tonnes. At the same time, the average import price in April 2010 was 57% up on the last year result and amounted to ca.3.15 USD per kilo. The average indications since the beginning of the year rose nearly by 60% to ca.2.60 USD per kilo, which was higher than prices for shipments to all the destinations, except for Spain (ca.3.10 USD per kilo).
In the same period Japan imported from Russia nearly 1550 tonnes of frozen halibut, 80% up on last year, and in April 2010 the import volume exceeded the last year result by 65% and amounted to ca.590 tones, 125% up on March 2010. The average import price in April 2010 amounted to 530 Yen per kilo (ca.5.75 USD per kilo), ca.7% down on the last year price. The average result for January-April 2010 declined to ca.524 Yen per kilo (-10% on last year).
At the same time, import of frozen flounder of the Russian origin for the period from January 2010 was limited to only 500 tonnes, 34% down on last year, though in April 2010 the import volume was practically the same as last year and amounted to 420 tonnes namely. The average import price in April 2010 was 5% up on last year and approximated 215 Yen per kilo (ca.2.30 USD per kilo), but the average indications through the first four months of the year declined nearly by 9% to ca.215 Yen per kilo. Import of live and fresh flounder from Russia jumped more than three times since January 2010, but it was still limited to less than 30 tonnes. The average import price rose by 70% to 450 Yen per kilo, but in April 2010 it was much lower at ca.355 Yen per kilo (ca.3.85 USD per kilo).
Import of frozen Russian pollock to Japan in April 2010 jumped three times on March 2010 and reached ca.35 tonnes. The import volume for the first four months of the year amounted to ca.250 tonnes, 13% up on last year. The average price of April import was more than 30% below the result of March 2010 and amounted to ca.150 Yen per kilo (ca.1.60 USD per kilo). The average result for January-April 2010 amounted to ca.155 Yen per kilo just like last year.
In the first third of 2010 Japan increased its import of frozen Russian cod by more than 160% and almost reached the result of 1000 tonnes. However in April 2010 import was limited to less than 200 tonnes, though it rose nearly by 40% through the month. Nevertheless, as compared to last year the April volume turned out to be almost 3.5 times larger. The average import price in April 2010 was more than 10% below the last year result and amounted to ca.230 Yen per kilo (a little more than 2.45 USD per kilo), but the average indications for the period from the year start leveled at 240 Yen per kilo, only 6% down on the last year result.
Japanese import of Aka mackerel of the Russian origin as per late April 2010 was only 1% down on the last year result, though in April 2010 it grew nearly by 1000 tonnes on March 2010 to ca.2600 tonnes, 14% up on last year. The average import price in April 2010 turned out to be 3.5% up on the last year result and amounted to ca.240 Yen per kilo (ca.2.60 USD per kilo). The average result for the first four months of the year amounted to ca.235 Yen per kilo, 12.5% up on last year.
Japanese import of Russian perch was represented nearly exclusively by products from the Northwest Atlantic, and its total volume for January-April 2010 practically doubled as compared to last year to 1,250 tonnes. At the same time, the import volume in April 2010 was higher than the last year result practically three times and reached 210 tonnes, which could be attributed to nearly complete absence of turn-of-the season inventories in the low season in Japan against active purchases of the products for the current needs before the start of the new fishing season. The average import price in April 2010 was 15% below the last year result and approximated 355 Yen per kilo (ca.3.80 USD per kilo), but the average result for the period from the beginning of the year amounted to 340 Yen per kilo, only 8.5% down on last year. Thus, the decline could be attributed to increased exchange rate of Yen to USD.
Crabs
In April 2010, just like last year, the US import of frozen king crab of the Russian origin grew dramatically slower again, which could be partly attributed to suspension of seasonal shipments of Barents Sea products, however as compared to last year the import volume somewhat increased to nearly 800 tonnes and exceeded the last year result by ca.2%. In March-April 2010 the import volume amounted to 2160 tonnes, 6.5% up on last year, however the total import volume through the first third of the year 2010 still failed to reach 5000 tonnes and amounted to ca.4940 tonnes, 8% down on last year.
The average import price in April 2010 declined nearly by 5% on March 2010, still failing to descend below 18.00 USD per kilo FAS or ex-vessel, which was considerably higher than the results of January and February 2010 leveling at 15.00-16.00 USD per kilo, but last year the April price was much higher at ca.20.80 USD per kilo. Nevertheless, the total result for January-April 2010 appeared to be only 4% below the last year figure and amounted to ca.16.80 USD per kilo (for shipments from Norway it declined by 6% to ca.18.75 USD per kilo, but in April 2010 it was much lower than the price for Russian shipments and amounted to ca.15.15 USD per kilo).
Import of frozen snow crab of the Russian origin to the USA in April 2010 was limited to less than 250 tonnes, 21% down on March 2010 and 13% down on April 2009. The total import volume for January-April 2010 declined by 12.5%, but still remained at the level of 1000 tonnes. The average import price in April 2010 was 16% up on last year and amounted to ca.5.25 USD per kilo. The average result for the period of the first four months of the year amounted to ca.5.40 USD per kilo, 4% down on last year.
At the same time, the average price of officially registered import of Russian products to China, which was also represented nearly exclusively by snow crabs, in April 2010 turned out to be at the record low level for at least 18 recent months and amounted to only ca.1.75 USD per kilo CIF, 31% down on March 2010 and more than 65% on 5.00 USD per kilo in April 2009. The average price for January-April 2010 amounted to a little more than 2.25 USD per kilo, 43% down on last year even despite a large fall of the import volume by more than 56% to only 960 tonnes. In April 2010 the import volume was five times below the last year result and 60% down on March 2010. That hinted that either the official figures of the Chinese import were well updated thus failing to show the real market situation, or the period of active shipments of the Russian raw material to China (peaking in 2006-2007) was close to its end. Moreover, measures of fighting IUU fishing practices were growing more efficient (judging by some indicators).
The volume of the Japanese import of frozen snow crab from Russia in April 2010 rose nearly by 40% on March 2010 and the average import price CIF increased by 19% to ca.880 Yen per kilo (ca.9.50 USD per kilo). However, as compared to last year the result of April 2010 was more than 31% lower and amounted to less than 400 tonnes. Nevertheless, the total result for the period from the beginning of the year somewhat exceeded the last year figure (+1.5%) and reached the level of 1400 tonnes. The average import price for the period under analysis declined by 19% to ca.730 Yen per kilo, though in April 2010 it was higher than the last year result by 5%.
Japanese import of live snow crab of the Russian origin in April 2010 grew dramatically brisker and the total shipments through the month only increased nearly by 20% as compared to the whole first quarter of the year. As compared to March 2010, import in April 2010 jumped by 276% to ca.1240 tonnes, however last year April shipments developed even more actively and the total import volume rose nearly by 80%. The total import volume in January-April 2009 reached 4500 tonnes, while in the same period of the current year 2010 the respective result was twice lower at less than 2300 tonnes. On the other hand, the average import price rose nearly by 38% to 495 Yen per kilo, while in April 2010 it exceeded the figure of April 2009 by 50% and amounted to ca.460 Yen per kilo (ca.5.00 USD per kilo).
The volume of the Japanese import of live king crab (mostly red, but partly blue) of the Russian origin in April 2010 also noticeably increased as compared to March 2010 (by more than 140%), but remained at a very low level and failed to reach even 100 tonnes, more than four times down on last year. In January-April 2010 it declined by 77% to only 370 tonnes, and the average import price rose by only 42% to ca.864 Yen per kilo, though in April 2010 it kept growing and already reached nearly 1095 Yen per kilo (ca.11.85 Yen per kilo).
The average price of Japanese import of frozen king crab from Russia in April 2010 also continued its rise and reached already 1660 Yen per kilo (ca.17.95 USD per kilo), exceeding by less than 4% on last year, while the import volume declined by more than 30% to only ca.1730 tonnes. On the other hand, in April 2010 it rose by more than 10% through the month and nearly by 65% on April 2009 to 470 tonnes, therefore by the start of the second half of the year the indices could level off.
Japanese import of live hairy crab of the Russian origin in the first four months of the year 2009 was developing much more actively than in the same period of 2009, its highest activity was observed exactly in April 2010 when the customs cleared 240 tonnes, practically as much as in the first quarter of the year. As compared to last year, the import volume in April 2010 turned out to be nearly 260% up on the last year result, the import volume through the period from the beginning of the year jumped nearly by 90% to ca.480 tonnes. The average import price through the period under analysis declined nearly by 4% (less than the rise of the exchange rate of Yen to USD) and amounted to 750 Yen per kilo, though in April 2010 it was already below the level of 600 Yen per kilo and amounted to ca.590 Yen per kilo (ca.6.35 USD per kilo).
Shrimp
Japanese import of frozen Russian shrimp in April 2010 grew dramatically brisker and the customs cleared ca.1100 tonnes of the Russian products, 35% up on March 2010. As compared to last year, import in April 2010 increased even stronger, by 64% namely, and thanks to the rise the total volume of shipments in the first third of the year 2010 actually equaled the last year result and amounted to 2900 tonnes by the end of April 2010. But the average import price through the period under analysis turned out to be 17% below the last year result and amounted to only 950 Yen per kilo. However, in April 2010 it was even lower at 930 Yen per kilo (10.00 USD per kilo), 19% down on last year and 6.5% down on March 2010 (partly due to weaker exchange rate of Yen to USD).
Sea urchin
Japanese import of live sea urchin in April 2010 dramatically increased with the customs clearing more than 1100 tonnes, 23% up on March 2010, but 10% down on April 2010, due to which the total import volume in January-April 2010 turned out to be ca.2.5% below the last year figures and amounted to ca.3650 tonnes. The average import price in April 2010 declined nearly by 10% through the month and amounted to ca.545 Yen per kilo (ca.5.85 USD per kilo), but it exceeded the last year result by 5.5%. The average indications through the first four months of the year rose by 12% on the same period last year and leveled at 600 Yen per kilo, thanks to which the import value increased by 9.5% to ca.2.2 billion Yen.
Squid
Chinese import of frozen Russian squid was again very slow and the total import volume in January-April 2010 failed to reach even 10 tonnes, while last year the import volume totaled ca.800 tonnes. The average import price amounted to 1.35 USD per kilo, approximately twice up on last year.
Surimi
Japanese import of frozen pollock surimi of the Russian origin in April 2010 increased again and closely approximated the level of 300 tonnes and reached 290 tonnes, more than 12 times up on April 2009. In January-April 2010 the import volume totaled ca.520 tonnes, nearly 5.5 times up on the same period last year, thus pointing out to serious increase of attractiveness of the Japanese surimi market for those Russian producers who dared to return to production of such technically difficult type of product.
The average import price in April 2010 rose as compared to the previous month by another 6% and reached 240 Yen per kilo (ca.2.60 USD per kilo), still 45% down on April 2009. The average indications through the period under analysis turned out to be exactly two times below the last year result and were limited to the level of only 230 Yen per kilo (for shipments from Alaska the average price leveled at 300 Yen per kilo, only 13% down on last year).
The import value grew as compared to last year practically three times to ca.120 million Yen or ca.1.3 million USD, therefore development of business activity could be taken as fairly successful for the Russian fishermen.