Price
World market price
Cephalopods have a well-defined group of consumers concentrated
in relatively few markets, the principal ones being Japan, some
countries in South-East Asia and most countries in Southern
Europe. Local market prices of cephalopods are often determined
by the import prices at each market. Because of international
competition in cephalopods, prices tend to move in parallel
over the medium to long term, with Japanese demand setting the
trend.
Source: Globefish
Squid prices have a seasonal cycle,
being lower in July-September owing to Japanese landings during
that period. Another important element influencing squid prices
are catches in the Southwest Atlantic. Eastern European countries
have tended to sell at low prices when catches in the area are
high, often depressing world market prices for other varieties
of squid as well.
In general, Japanese importers pay higher prices than Europeans.
The Japanese market takes most medium size octopus, leaving
only very small or very big ones for the European market. For
squid too, Japanese prices are usually higher than those offered
in Europe, and most of the world supply goes to Japan for as
long as the national import quota remains unfilled.
Source: globefish
Squid prices are expected to increase
in all markets, since supplies will be very limited in the
coming months and inventories are also running at very low
levels. The forecast for 2003 with regard to catches in the
South West Atlantic is also bleak. The shift in Peruvian policy
towards a higher utilization of domestic squid resources should
also have a negative impact on the supply of squid to the
world market. On the other hand, octopus and cuttlefish supplies
have normalized and demand is stable. Some faint price increases
for these two cephalopods are foreseen for the coming months,
which should bring prices to more acceptable levels for exporting
countries.
|
