The demand for fish and shellfish is increasing, and the raw material prices are rising.

2007-11-20

Due to the increased demand for canned tuna in Europe, America and China, the raw material bonito Prices have increased significantly, and Yaizu, one of Japan's leading producers of dried bonito, is in production trouble. At the dried bonito auction that brought together wholesalers from all over Japan on the 13th, the price of dried bonito reached 1,543 yen per kilogram, 1.5 times that of 2006, making production reduction inevitable. As the world's demand for fish and shellfish begins to increase, the production of dried bonito will continue to be difficult in the future. According to the Japan Yaizu Dried Bonito Fisheries Processing Industry Cooperative, the annual output of dried bonito in Yaizu City, Japan is about 11,000 tons (requiring 60,000 tons of raw bonito), accounting for about 30% of the Japanese market share. In previous years, 60% of the bonito caught in Yaizu Port by roll-net fishing boats was used, but due to the high fish prices in 2007, nothing could be done. In 2006, the price of 1 kilogram of bonito was around 105 yen. Starting in April 2007, the price increased to 180 yen in 2013. All cooperatives are forced to independently reduce production by 30%.

The reason for the high price of raw materials is that in Bangkok, Thailand, where large canning manufacturers are concentrated, the catch of bonito in the Indian Ocean, which is used as a raw material for the production of canned tuna, has decreased. Due to the tightening of tuna catch restrictions, bonito is commonly used in canned tuna today. However, in Europe, the United States and economically developing China, canned tuna is very popular, and bonito caught in the country is exported to Thailand in order to make canned food. As the production volume of canned tuna is expected to increase in the future, major companies such as YAMAKI (Iyo City, Ehime Prefecture, Japan), which ranks first in the dried bonito sales industry, will increase the prices of dried bonito products by 10 to 15 yuan starting this summer. . The same cooperative said helplessly: "Since the raw materials for producing dried bonito account for 75% of the sales price, it is impossible to cut costs. There is no other way except raising prices."