Maximum Increase of 0.4 Yuan per kg, Guangdong Drops by 0.1 Yuan: High Temperatures Cause Hatching Difficulties, Tilapia Fingerling Shortage Occurs One Month Earlier This Year

As June 2025 quietly arrives, the onset of high temperatures has led to increased feeding by farmers, significantly accelerating tilapia growth. Over time, the stock of market-sized tilapia in Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan in South China has gradually increased, greatly alleviating the recent shortage of tilapia in the market. On June 7, Aquaculture Frontier learned through multiple channels that tilapia prices in regions such as Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan are now a mix of gains and losses, though overall volatility remains minimal.

In Hainan, recent increases in farm-gate tilapia sales and processing plant purchases have maintained a dynamic balance in the market. However, due to low order prices from the U.S., farm-gate prices for tilapia have struggled to rise. Currently, processing plants are purchasing tilapia at 6.2 yuan/kg and 8.2 yuan/kg, remaining flat compared to last week.

In the Maoming and Zhanjiang regions of Guangdong, sustained high temperatures have increased tilapia feed intake and growth rates. According to fish traders interviewed by Aquaculture Frontier, the supply of raw tilapia materials in Guangdong is currently abundant. On June 7, the baseline purchase prices at processing plants were 6.4 yuan/kg and 8.4 yuan/kg, remaining flat or dropping slightly by 0.1 yuan/kg compared to last week.

Liao, the head of the tilapia raw material procurement department at Baiyang Group, stated that while U.S. orders have continued to grow steadily recently, prices remain low, translating to farm-gate prices of approximately 6.2 yuan/kg and 8.2 yuan/kg. Enterprises solely engaged in net processing and exporting to the U.S. market are generally facing losses. During the period of high U.S. tariffs on China this year, many companies began considering expanding into more export markets or transitioning to domestic sales. Meanwhile, improving industrial supporting facilities, such as developing deep processing, feed production, and fingerling production and sales, has helped enhance enterprises' risk resistance to some extent.

In Beihai, Guangxi, the market is overall facing a fish shortage, but increased purchases by processing plants have driven fish prices higher. This week, factory purchase prices range from 6.6–48.6 yuan/kg, an increase of 0.3–0.4 yuan/kg from last week. The water truck price for market sales is approximately 10 yuan/kg, up 0.4 yuan/kg from last week. In Liuzhou, Guangxi, the water truck fishing price remained at 16 yuan/kg this week, unchanged from last week.

Since the beginning of this year, overall drought and low rainfall in South China have severely impacted tilapia fingerling production, leading to a shortage of fingerling supplies. Many fingerling enterprise representatives reported that the end of tilapia fingerling supply this year came one month earlier than usual. Zhou Xu, General Manager of Hainan Changsheng Fish and Turtle Seed Farm, said the company has completed approximately 80–90% of its tilapia fingerling sales. Huang Yi, General Manager of Maoming Rich Aquaculture Co., Ltd., stated that the company's tilapia fingerling production and sales this year are roughly the same as the same period last year, but due to the fingerling shortage occurring one month earlier, subsequent sales are expected to decline. Liu Zhili, General Manager of Tianzhiyu Aquatic Technology Co., Ltd., pointed out that hot weather has caused difficulties in fingerling hatching, and some tilapia fingerling enterprises are facing shortages due to low overall production and limited inventory. In addition to its Hainan base, Tianzhiyu also has bases in Maoming and Yangxi, ensuring a longer supply cycle for tilapia fingerlings through coordinated operations across the three bases.

Regarding the farm-gate price of red tilapia "Jinbanhong," recent prices have seen slight downward fluctuations. This week's farm-gate price is 15 yuan/kg, a decrease of 0.2–0.6 yuan/kg from last week. Industry insiders analyze that with increased tilapia sales, such price fluctuations are within the normal range.