Domestic catfish sales in the United States experienced a 2 percent decline in 2020 compared to 2019, according to information released earlier this month by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Producers sold USD 371 million (EUR 305.2 million) worth of catfish last year, down from the USD 380 million (EUR 312.6 million) sold in 2019. According to the USDA, producers based in Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, and Arkansas accounted for 97 percent of total sales.
Mississippi continued to dominate the market. Its producers sold USD 224 million (EUR 184.3 million) in catfish last year, down about 1 percent from the previous year. While Mississippi's total sales figure was down, Alabama producers saw a marginal uptick, as sales rose about 1.1 percent last year to USD 98.8 million (EUR 81.3 million).
In Texas, sales remained about the same as producers reported USD 18.7 million (EUR 15.4 million) in 2020. However, Arkansas reported the steepest drop of the big four states. Sales in 2020 were just USD 18.5 million (EUR 15.2 million), down 14.7 percent from 2019.
While the sector's value dipped slightly last year, the percentage of direct sales to processors remained the same, with those transactions accounting for 94.6 percent of food-size sales.
Other key indicators were down as well for 2020. The area used to raise catfish dwindled by 3 percent last year. As of 1 January, 2021, the water surface acreage used for production was 59,305 acres, down from a total of 61,245 acres in use a year before.
The USDA noted that 2,745 acres, roughly 4.6 percent of the current total, are expected to undergo renovations during the first six months of 2021. Federal officials also expect 610 additional acres to come online by 1 July, 2021.
States are also reporting a significant reduction in the amount of food-size fish to start 2021. Producers nationwide report only 138.6 million fish in stock for 2021, compared to 158 million last year. Mississippi’s stock dropped 10.8 percent to about 81 million for this year, while Alabama’s stock went down more than 17 percent to 41.2 million.
Stocks in Texas and Arkansas remain relatively stable, as they reported 7.2 million and 7.1 million catfish, respectively.
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