Norway salmon price seen stable in NOK 60-62 range next week -industry sources
OSLO, March 31 The average price of Norwegian farmed salmon is expected to remain in the range 60-62 Norwegian crowns per kilo for deliveries in Oslo next week, sources in the fish farming industry told Reuters on Friday.
"Prices are flat or slightly down next week, around 60 crowns per kilo compared to 60-61 crowns this week," one producer, who declined to be named, told Reuters.
An exporter said prices were flat at around 62 crowns.
"We are impressed that prices are kept so high, there is an increase in volume of a couple of thousands tonnes," the exporter added.
The increase in volumes comes ahead of Easter, normally a strong season for salmon demand.
Prices have fallen from around 80 crowns per kilo in early January but industry earnings margins are still high by historical standards, despite a sharp rise in production costs in Norway in recent years to around 32-33 crowns per kilo.
Supply constraints are expected to support prices in the first half of 2017 before an expected increase in volumes later in the year, fish farmers including Marine Harvest, Leroey Seafood and Salmar recently said.
Norway is the world's top salmon exporter, with leading producers including Marine Harvest, Salmar, Leroy Seafood, Grieg Seafood and Norway Royal Salmon. (Reporting by Ole Petter Skonnord, editing by Terje Solsvik)