Today (May 5, 2024), the beginning of the summer solar term has arrived. As the temperature rises, the crayfish, known as the "top of the night supper", is returning to the table with a lower "appearance fee". As early as the beginning of April this year, #小龙虾身价暴跌#等词条便频频登上热搜, many netizens said that "crayfish freedom" may be realized. Why is the price of crayfish dropping? Which flavor of crayfish is preferred? Where is crayfish abundant? Next, let's explore the big industry behind crayfish.
01 Why did the value plummet?
This year's crayfish are generally on the market earlier, and the crayfish that matured in April in previous years were the first to appear in March this year, and the price has also changed significantly. Taking Qianjiang City, Hubei Province, the "hometown of Chinese crayfish" as an example, on April 30, the reference price of Xiaoqing (2-4 money) was 11 yuan, the reference price of Zhongqing (4-6 money) was 17 yuan, and the reference price of Daqing (6-8 money) was 34 yuan, and the price dropped sharply from the previous month. Judging from the price change trend chart in the past two weeks, the price of crayfish showed a steady downward trend, but it increased on April 30.
What is the reason behind the "price dive" of crayfish?
On the one hand, the early warming of the climate has accelerated the growth rate of crayfish, prompting crayfish in major producing areas such as Hubei to be marketed ahead of schedule, increasing market supply. On the other hand, the crayfish aquaculture production area in the mainland continues to expand, and the output of crayfish is increasing year by year. A large number of crayfish are on the market, and the changes in supply and demand have driven the price of crayfish downward.
02 There are thousands of crayfish flavors, which one is your favorite?
Crayfish, scientific name Crayfish, native to North America, since the 30s of the 20th century after being introduced to the mainland, with its unique charm successfully captured the taste buds of the Chinese people. According to statistics, in 2023, the output of crayfish aquaculture in mainland China will be about 3 million tons, and the total output value is expected to exceed 500 billion yuan.
The reason why crayfish is so popular is not only because of its high protein content and delicious meat, but also because of the continuous innovation of Chinese dishes. Chinese, who have never been sloppy about "eating", have not only developed classic crayfish dishes such as "thirteen spiced crayfish", "braised crayfish" and "spicy crayfish", but also integrated local eating habits and fashion trends to continuously launch crayfish innovative dishes and fusion dishes, deducing the "eighteen kinds of martial arts" on the menu, and even the most tricky taste buds will be conquered instantly.
03 Where do your favorite crayfish come from?
As the saying goes, where there are rivers and lakes, there are crayfish.
There are 24 provinces in the mainland that have reported crayfish aquaculture production, but the main production areas of crayfish are still concentrated in places with dense water networks and developed rice fields. Among them, Hubei, the "province of a thousand lakes", will produce 1.242 million tons of crayfish in 2023. According to the data of enterprise investigation, there are currently more than 9,000 enterprises with "crayfish" in the national business scope (the registration status is in business and in the state of survival), of which 4,334 are in Hubei Province, accounting for nearly half, followed by Hunan Province, Sichuan Province and Anhui Province.
Rice grows in the water, shrimp is in the downstream of the rice, "rice and shrimp farming" is the current mainstream crayfish breeding model, which can achieve "one field and two harvests". At present, more than eighty percent of crayfish come from rice paddies.
Although the lobster is small, the whole body is a treasure. With the popularity of the crayfish consumption market, the related industrial chain has also been continuously extended, which has driven the development of crayfish feed, crayfish farming, crayfish processing, crayfish export and catering. The emergence of new consumption trends such as live streaming, prefabricated dishes, outdoor economy, and camping economy has also given birth to a variety of new crayfish consumption patterns.
Produced by | Southern Finance and Economics Omnimedia Group, 21st Century Business Herald
Curated | Creative Interaction Center
Copywriting | Cheng Di Xu Ting (Intern)
Design | Li Jili Li Xuting
Proofreading | Fortunately, Huang Zhiming
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