Prawn prices hit record highs as industry struggles with supply
It’s hard to imagine an Australian Christmas without a few prawns on the barbecue.
But some might have to make that choice with prawns now selling for $45 a kilo in Sydney, up $15 from a year ago according to retailers.
And now there are tips that the price could be as high as $50 by Christmas.
Queensland Seafood Marketers Association president Marshall Betzel said supplies are running short with the “double whammy” of ever-increasing Chinese demand for Australian prawns and ongoing import restrictions forcing up prices.
“The overall message is don’t leave it to the last minute to go shopping for seafood for Christmas,” Mr Betzel told the Courier Mail.
“The prudent buyer should be looking at buying prawns today. Prawns snap-frozen on the boat come up a treat when thawed out so you could be buying them and putting them in the freezer until Christmas to make sure you don’t miss out.”
An outbreak of white spot disease in southeast Queensland prawn farms hit the industry hard last year and saw the destruction of millions of dollars’ worth of prawns.
That saw the Australian Government slapping a complete ban on all raw prawn imports in January.
The ban was lifted in July but restrictions are still tight.
by Leon Gettler, November 10th 2017
