Sea cucumber prices have jumped to CNY 200 (USD 28.81, EUR 25.15) per kilo, up 25 percent from the beginning of October, according to a study of the sector by analyst Kang Jing Dong at Chinese brokerage Cinda Securities.
By contrast, average prices for other high-end favorites – abalone, shellfish, and shrimp – were CNY 140 (USD 20.17, EUR 17.60), CNY 10 (USD 1.44, EUR 1.26) and CNY 180 (USD 25.92, EUR 22.63) per kilo, respectively, according to Kang.
Climate change – in particular, the impact of rising water temperatures on aquaculture production of sea cucumber on China’s east coast – will put further pressure on prices, according to Kang. Sea cucumbers are a popular species in China’s gift market and prices have been volatile in recent years as new producers flooded into the sector. Prices fell from a high of CNY 200 (USD 28.81, EUR 25.15) per kilogram in 2011 to CNY 80 (USD 11.52, EUR 10.06) per kilogram in mid-2016 before recovering recently.
Key players in China’s market are mostly clustered in Liaoning and Shandong provinces and include Homey Aquatic Development Co. and Oriental Ocean. Numerous other firms – including Zoneco (Zhangzidao) – have sea cucumber operations.
