Week 37, 2026: China’s Tilapia Raw Material Market Diverges by Region
- Guangdong & Guangxi: tighter supply lifts processor delivery prices
- Hainan: prices stable
- US wholesale: stabilizes after a modest rise
- China’s exports to the US: still well below last year; export shift to Africa and other emerging markets accelerates
1. Tighter Supply in Guangdong and Guangxi Pushes Up Tilapia Raw Material Prices
In Week 37 of 2026, China’s tilapia raw material prices diverged across major producing regions.
- Guangdong: the price of 500–800g tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) delivered to processing plants rose by RMB 0.20/kg.
- Guangxi: prices rose by RMB 0.40/kg, a sharper increase.
- Hainan: prices remained unchanged.
Market sources say processors in Guangdong and Guangxi are facing continuously declining harvests and low inventories, prompting them to raise prices to secure supply.
2. Hainan Stays Flat as Processors Show Weaker Buying Interest
Unlike Guangdong and Guangxi, Hainan’s tilapia raw material prices remained stable in Week 37. Although local harvest volumes also declined, processors there showed noticeably weaker buying interest than in Guangdong and Guangxi, leaving little momentum for price gains. This regional difference reflects different considerations in processors’ raw material procurement strategies.
3. US Wholesale Prices Hold Steady; China’s Tilapia Export Landscape Shifts Faster
US frozen tilapia fillet wholesale prices held steady in Week 37 after rising by about USD 0.05/lb in Week 36. Current inventories and limited demand have capped further price increases.
Data show that through June 2026, US imports of frozen tilapia fillets from China totaled 78.57 million pounds, down 16% from the same period in 2025. Meanwhile, China’s tilapia export flows are changing: Mexico has overtaken China in export volumes to the US, while the share of exports going to African markets such as Côte d’Ivoire is growing rapidly, offering Chinese exporters new growth opportunities.