Results of Russian APO A-Season 2012 enabling preliminary market outlook for main categories in product mix

During the APO A-Season 2012 the catch and production structure has considerably changed in line with market requirements, reports http://www.megafishnet.com/.

According to the Russian Pollock Catchers Association, the total pollock catch in Russia was 858.6 th.MT - 1.9% (16.8 th MT) less than 2011.  Catch by areas was diversified.  The most important of changes was the growth at North Kuril Islands (54.7 th MT compared with 22.7 in 2011),

Speaking about product mix, as usual the biggest volume was APO HG, 403 th MT.  There was 4.4% surplus to 2011 result (386 th MT).  This is mostly explained by decrease of APO fillet production. 

APO WR production was 57.7 th MT, 21.1 th MT less than 2011 volume (78.8 th MT).  The reason is obvious - in fact, WR production soared up in 2011 because of drop of Northern blue whiting.  This year volume will be almost fully consumed in Korea, a traditional market for this product.

Total block fillet volume was 17.3 th MT, 32.6% (8.4 th MT) less than 2011.  It's worth mentioning that fish quality was good enough, and there was no problem to produce more fillet and less HG.  However, most Russian companies always try not to produce fillet without reliable contracts.  As most market players know, there are no fillet contracts for A-season as yet.  US PBO blocks production in A-season was almost 11 th MT less than a year ago (37.8 against 48.6).  Surely, as retailers (hence, buyers) insist on price decrease, double frozen volume will be substantially higher than a year ago.  It's worth saying that Chinese processors have no contracts as yet too.

Mince is a by-product of sea-frozen fillet.  Production volume was 3.54 th MT, it is less than a year ago.  It's interesting to mention that US production was 750 MT (6.5%) higher than 2011.  It means no price increase for this popular product this year.

Pollock fishmeal production of was 20.5 th MT, about the same as a year ago.  The biggest buyer traditionally was China, even though most producers have not registered either with AQSIQ, or Agriculture Ministry.

As for pollock roe Russian production was 28,755.1 MT, very much the same as in 2011 (28,770.5).  The market is moving in a strange way, most probably because of not so good US roe quality.  The situation is described in more details in another article.