Recently, many netizens have claimed on social media platforms that this year’s crayfish not only hit the market early but also at a cheaper price. Data shows that compared to the same period last year, the wholesale average price of crayfish has been nearly halved.
On May 9th, according to a report by “China New Latitude”, in several supermarkets in Beijing, the prices of crayfish varied. For example, at Seven Fresh, the price of live crayfish was 19.9 yuan (RMB) per jin (500g); at HEMA Supermarket, medium-sized field live crayfish were priced at 19.9 yuan per jin, while large-sized field live crayfish were 29.9 yuan per jin; at Yong Hui Supermarket, live crayfish were priced at 17.9 yuan per jin.
A resident of Beijing, Ms. Fu, stated, “Crayfish this year are inexpensive. I bought three jin of crayfish at the supermarket a few days ago, costing me 54.9 yuan. That’s only 18.3 yuan per jin when calculated, whereas I remember it was over 20 yuan per jin at the same time last year.”
Data from the official website of Xinfadi Market in Beijing on May 8th showed that the wholesale average price of small-sized crayfish was 15 yuan per jin, and for large-sized crayfish, it was 21.5 yuan per jin. These prices had respectively decreased by 23.1% and 10.4% compared to a month ago, and by 3.2% and 8.5% compared to the same period last year.
In 2025, when crayfish were first introduced to the market, the wholesale average price of small-sized crayfish at Xinfadi Market in Beijing had reached as high as 28 yuan per jin, and for large-sized crayfish, it was as high as 49 yuan per jin. However, this year, just as crayfish hit the market, the wholesale average price has been nearly halved compared to the same period last year.
According to data from the agricultural digital service platform Yimutian, on May 9th, the average supply price of crayfish from the source was 15.64 yuan per jin, a 1.88% decrease from the previous day, with continuous price reductions over the past week. The wholesale market average price was 28 yuan per jin, remaining the same as the previous day. At a wholesale market in Henan, crayfish sourced from Jiangsu dropped to a weekly low of 9 yuan per jin.
Researcher Xu Lifeng from the Yimutian Industry Research Institute stated that based on their big data analysis, crayfish prices have been declining since March, with an overall drop of 30% to 40% compared to the same period last year, nearly halving for large-sized crayfish.
Xu Lifeng explained, “From the demand perspective, crayfish’s main consumption scenes are night markets and street food stalls, and currently, it is not the peak season for night markets, which has caused a mismatch between supply and demand, affecting crayfish prices.”