Catfish sales in the United States rose by 5 percent in 2019, according to figures released last week by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The total sales amounted to USD 379 million (EUR 347.1 million) in 2019, which represents a roughly USD 19 million (EUR 17.4 million) increase from 2018. The main driver for the increase was foodsized sales, which accounted for USD 362 million (EUR 331.5 million) of the total, an 8 percent increase from the year prior.
The state of Mississippi, the largest supplier of catfish by far, spurred the growth in 2019. It generated USD 213.7 million (EUR 195.7 million) in sales, a 13.6 percent increase from 2018. Neighboring Alabama also saw a sizable increase, as sales rose 7 percent to USD 97.4 million (EUR 89.2 million).
The top four catfish producers – Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas, and Texas – accounted for all but 4 percent of the total catfish sales in the U.S., the records indicate.
Direct sales to processors accounted for nearly 95 percent of all foodsize catfish sales, the USDA said.
As sales figures rose, so too did the weight of the product, but only by 1.2 percent to 348 million pounds. Again, Mississippi accounted for the lion’s share, with its operators moving 203.5 million pounds of catfish.
Though sales are up, the area used to raise catfish is down slightly. As of 1 January, there are about 61,200 water-surface acres being used for catfish farming. That’s down by about 2,000 acres from the start of 2019. Of the available acreage, about 3,000 acres are subject to be renovated by 1 July.
Producers also had fewer fish available to start the year. The number of broodfish totaled about half-a-million, which is 11 percent lower than 2019. Large foodsized catfish were down 31 percent in 2019 as producers only had about 4.8 million in stock. While the stock of mid-sized catfish grew 4 percent to 56.3 million, the stock of smaller-sized catfish dropped 12 percent to 86.3 million.
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