January 29, 2007

Sales of eel feed jumps 23 percent in China's Fujian province

According to preliminary data from Fujian Aquaculture Feed Association, sales of eel feed from member firms totalled 117,482 tonnes in 2006, up 22.9 percent from 2005's 95,595 tonnes.

Amongst those, adult eel feed was at 40,586 tonnes and feed for fingerling eels accounted for 51,532 tonnes. Black roe eel feed accounted for 25,252 tonnes while that for white roe feed was at 111 tonnes.

Meanwhile, turtle feed production reached 274,000 tonnes with total output of powdered feed at 138,882 tonnes.

The eel compound feed output for December 2006 was also up 37.52 percent from the same period in 2005.

Adult eel feed in December 2006 nearly doubled to 3,076 tonnes from 1, 724 tonnes the same time in 2005.

Fingerling eel feed was up 50 percent on-year and black roe feed was up 34 percent in December 2006. 

Overall, sales in December had increased 37 percent compared to the same period two years earlier.

In the face of stricter import restrictions put up by the Japanese market and higher prices for eel fry, market analysts said producers should exercise caution before purchasing eel fry to replenish their stock, especially now that inventories of young eels are higher than the year before.