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Red caviar sales fell in September
In general, sales of delicacy fish in August and September fell by 8% across the country, and the appetite of residents of the capital decreased by 14%, Kommersant reports. Experts say that rising prices and reduced supply on the market are to blame. The situation is further aggravated by the fact that in our country, 50% of sales usually occur in December (New Year), and a significant portion in February (Maslenitsa).
According to the Fisheries Association, salmon caviar accounts for 5% of total sales, sturgeon caviar for 5%, pollock caviar for 4%, imitation salmon products for 1%, and cod caviar and imitation sturgeon products for 1% each. Last month, Russians bought red caviar in gram jars, while at the beginning of the year they mostly bought it in gram jars.
The All-Russian Fishery Association (VARPE) reported that the wholesale price of red caviar in August of this year reached 4,800 rubles per 1 kg (an increase of 50% compared to August 2023).
Alexander Fomin, Executive Director of the Association of Industrial and Trade Enterprises "Wet Market", believes that over the past month alone, the price of red caviar in stores has increased by about 1.8 times, which was not prevented by sales. It is expected that last year's catch will be depleted by December. Products from processed stocks may appear on the market, but it is impossible to predict how much it will cost. Experts predict that red caviar production will reach 1,000 tons by the end of this year, which is almost three times lower than in 2023.
According to VARPE, by mid-October the Pacific salmon catch was 231,000 tons. This figure is 2.6 times lower than the same period last year. At the same time, the chairman of the Fishermen's Union, Alexander Panin, expressed confidence that this year the supply of red caviar will exceed consumption, which means that "there is no shortage and there will not be one."