France: Caviar towards a shortage for the 2021 holidays

Published Dec 2, 2021

Tridge summary

The global caviar market is expected to experience a shortage ahead of the holiday season due to a surge in demand and a decrease in supply. This has led to a significant increase in prices, especially for high-end varieties like beluga, osetra, and Chinese hybrid caviar. European traders, including Luxembourg-based Gourmet Trade, are struggling with these price hikes. The pandemic has disrupted the caviar market, with breeders avoiding slaughtering ready fish in 2020 to prevent unsold stocks. The Chinese domestic market has also grown, absorbing a larger share of the global production. The cost of labor and the long breeding cycles of sturgeons contribute to the high production costs. Despite these challenges, some wholesalers have managed to secure a stock of entry-level caviar.

Disclaimer: The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

"I would do anything for caviar", admitted Henry Kissinger, the famous American diplomat. For the late 2021 holidays, fans of these non-ovulated, unfertilized sturgeon eggs are likely to expect some shortage, with supply far below demand. And therefore higher prices than in previous years, especially for the best references, from beluga sturgeon (Huso huso), osetra (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii), and Chinese hybrid (crossing Huso dauricus and schrenkii). Already at the end of 2020, a + 10% increase in wholesale prices had been noted by European traders, such as the Luxembourg company Gourmet Trade. Led by Iranian Ali Motahari, it was one of the first to import caviar from Chinese aquaculture, in mid-2000. Today, it also gets its supplies in Italy - the world's second largest producer behind China -, in Poland, Bulgaria, Uruguay, Germany, Iran, and of course offers French origins, mainly from Aquitaine, especially Acipenser baerii. , because of a clientele attached to the production ...

Source: Pdm-seafoodmag