Caviar
Tsar quality
Russia’s elite treat is increasingly being produced in China BY VINCE MCDONAGH
A
s one of the most expensive dishes on the planet – just 1kg of an Iranian-bred variety sold for £20,000 a few years ago – it is no surprise that caviar doesn’t regularly feature on most people’s shopping list. Even in a pandemic year, however, caviar remains a hugely valuable business with China now firmly in the driving seat for both consump�on and produc�on, according to a report from EUMOFA, the European Marke�ng Observatory for Fisheries and Aquaculture. The global market this year is likely to be worth US $1.55bn (£1.09bn), up by 75% on five years ago, with Chinese fish farmers expor�ng 150 tons a year. Caviar, some�mes dubbed “black gold”, is roe from the sturgeon, which is mostly farmed today because over-fishing has led to the near ex�nc�on of several of the species in the wild. Caviar ranks alongside other luxury delicacies such as foie gras and black truffles. Historically, sturgeon were harvested in the Caspian Sea and their roe sold as caviar by Russia, where it was once almost regarded as a na�onal dish, and Iran. Today, the increasingly wealthy Chinese have taken over produc�on, and are now also the world’s largest consumers.
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Caviar (Vince).indd 42
In the “19th
century the United States produced 90% of the world’s caviar
”
Caviar also remains popular with Western consumers, however, par�cularly in the United States and Europe. The EUMOFA report, updated from an earlier study three years ago, says the rapid growth in Chinese caviar produc�on has increased interna�onal compe��on over the last decade and a sharp decrease in average prices. For example, the average import price in the EU bloc has decreased by almost 40% from €430 per kg (£370) in 2014 to €264 (£227) in 2018, the most recent year for which figures are available. The report con�nues: “However, it seems that the price level has since stabilised, although at historically low levels. EU producers and exporters are also faced with Chinese compe��on in other markets. “From a yearly average export price of €538 per
www.fishfarmermagazine.com
07/06/2021 16:05:37
