Increased production by France, Poland, and Italy led to a double-digit rise in the European Union’s caviar production in 2016, finds new figures compiled by the Federation of European Aquaculture Producers (FEAP) and published by the European Market Observatory for Fisheries and Aquaculture Products (EUMOFA).
EU member states produced 126 metric tons (MT) of caviar in 2016, an increase of 17 percent or 18 MT compared with the previous year. The largest producers were Italy (38 MT), France (30 MT), Germany (15 MT) and Poland (15 MT), which collectively accounted for 80 percent of the year’s total production. Of these countries, France experienced the most growth with an additional 7 MT, followed by Poland (up five MT) and Italy (up three MT), while Germany’s production fell by two MT.
FEAP has only recently started publishing details on caviar production, although more comprehensive historical data on sturgeon production is available. This shows that while Italian sturgeon production decreased between 2015 and 2016 by almost 50 percent to 1,000 MT, other countries have increased their production, especially France and Poland, with increases in 2016 of 87 percent and 190 percent, respectively.
Although sturgeon production has fluctuated from year to year, there is an increasing upward trend, with an annual average growth rate of 2.6 percent. Overall, the E.U. produced 2,655 MT of sturgeon in 2016.
EUMOFA reports that E.U. imports of caviar from non-E.U. countries reached 30.6 MT in 2017, which was 32 percent more than in 2016. Within this trade, China was the main supplier with 27 MT, followed by Uruguay (1.9 MT) and Israel (1.1 MT).
France was the main importing member state in 2017, bringing in 13.2 MT, followed by Germany (6.4 MT) and Belgium (4.9 MT). The agency highlights that while France and Germany are big consumers of caviar, these import volumes might be affected by the fact that both countries are points of entry for caviar entering the E.U. market.
From 2014 to 2017, the average E.U. import price fell from EUR 403 (USD 459) per kg to EUR 261 (USD 297) per kg.
Along with the E.U.’s increased production of caviar, the bloc’s exports to non-member state countries has also been climbing. In 2017, these exports were estimated at 37.3 MT, up 25 percent compared with 2014. The two main E.U. export markets for caviar in 2017 were the United States (9.6 MT) and Japan (8.8 MT). Although still volatile, the average export price has decreased far less than import prices over recent years. From 2014 to 2017, it fell by just 3 percent from EUR 392 (USD 447) to EUR 382 (USD 435) per kg.
Meanwhile, the intra-EU trade of caviar was recorded at 59.5 MT in 2017, which represented an increase of 52 percent compared to 2014. Italy was the top exporter within this sector with 30.3 MT, followed by Germany (9.1 MT), France (7.8 MT) and Poland (6.5 MT). Between 2014 and 2017, the average intra-E.U. export price fell 13 percent from EUR 395 (USD 450) to EUR 343 (USD 391) per kilogram.
For 2016, the total E.U. consumption of caviar was estimated at 104 MT, with France providing the biggest consumer market (39.2 MT), followed by Germany (11.5 MT).
According to trade data from CITES, some 75 to 80 percent of the caviar exported is from the more common sturgeon species such as the white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus), or the shortnose sturgeon (Acipenser brevirostrum) to the higher-prized Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii) and the beluga-like kaluga sturgeon (Huso dauricus).
Caviars differ in size and price and are generally graded as classic, royal or imperial – describing the appearance of each pearl in terms of size and color.
