Overall seafood exports from Norway to China between January and July 2022 were up 44 percent year-on-year in value to NOK 4.2 billion (USD 430 million, EUR 420 million), achieving a new record, though Norway’s export volumes to China remained static at approximately 96,000 metric tons.
Exports of fresh whole salmon from Norway to China rose by 48 percent in value terms in the first seven months of 2022, even while dropping 17 percent in volume. Overall fresh salmon imports to China in the period were down 18 percent on volume year-on-year, according to Andreas Thorud, head of the Norwegian Seafood Council’s Shanghai office.
“It is clear that COVID-19 policies have taken a toll on [hotel, restaurant, and catering] segment, as well as we have seen high prices,” he told SeafoodSource. “However, given the situation we have had this year, we still see the market as resilient in challenging times.”
Extensive COVID-19-related lockdowns in Shanghai and elsewhere forced the NSC to curtail marketing activity in the second quarter of 2022, Thorud said.
“We had to cancel or postpone physical events as well as retail tastings,” Thorud said. “However, now well into Q3, we have had a very good momentum with our activities, ranging from in-store retail tastings, online chef competitions, and advertisements in social media.”
Thorud said the NSC’s marketing approach in China “is to engage in integrated campaigns, as well engaging consumers close to purchasing moments.”
The NSC’s consumer research showed Norway as the most-preferred origin for seafood in China, according to Thorud. A July webinar presented by NSC that reviewed NSC’s latest research on Chinese consumer habits and how they relate to imported seafood drew 4,000 viewers from the local seafood industry, Thorud said.
“So to emphasize origin, and that origin matters, are key aspects we work on in creating the umbrella brand of ‘Seafood from Norway,’” he said.
Photo courtesy of Norwegian Seafood Council
