By Kyouko Iwaki, Minato-Tsukiji.com

Japan’s domestic sales prices for Chilean frozen trout fillets are going up, with demand strong in several other markets.

The prices of trim C and trim E fillets, which are mostly destined for the fresh market, have risen JPY 50-100 over last month.

In addition to the decline of production in Chile, demand from China, Russia, Brazil, the United States and other countries has increased, due to high prices for Chilean Atlantic salmon.

For these reasons, it has been increasingly difficult for Japan to purchase trout.

“China is currently offering the highest purchase price for trout. Japan is ranked number six,” said one importer.

“In the past, almost all the stocks were destined for the Japanese market. Recently, there has been a sharp increase of shipments destined for the US,” said another importer, pointing to the strong competition from other countries.

The domestic price offered by trading companies by mid-September was about JPY 1,400 per kilogram for trim C and JPY 1,600/kg for trim E.

The price for a dressed headed and gutted (H&G) 4-6 lbs went up to JPY 850/kg.

“The Chilean side said they would not sell H&G at $8,”said the importer.

The situation surrounding procurement and domestic sales continues to be tight.

In response to the decrease of supply, one importer said that “there are no unsold inventories of trim C in particular”.

Reflecting the lack of supply and the high prices, Japanese buyers are likely to shift to other species of fish.

Japanese importers and processors are taking steps to deal with the situation by developing sashimi-grade products using trim C Chilean coho as well as other species of fish.