Norway exported seafood totaling NOK 17.4 billion (EUR 2 billion, USD 2.1 billion) in the first-quarter of this year, an increase of 3 percent or NOK 445 million (EUR 51.4 million; USD 54.9 million) year-on-year. The total, which has set a new record, is largely attributed to strong exports of farmed Atlantic salmon and fresh cod, particularly in March.
Last month, Norwegian exporters achieved a new monthly sales record of NOK 6.4 billion (EUR 739.7 million; USD 790.1 million), an increase of 13 percent or NOK 741 million (EUR 85.6 million; USD 91.5 million) year-on-year, said Geir Bakkevoll, communications director at the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC).
“After a late start to this year's spawning season, marked by bad weather and a lot of time spent ashore, there [was] a great deal of fishing activity in the period around Easter. This is confirmed by the increased quantities of exported Norwegian cod. In addition, salmon has had a strong quarter, partly benefiting from the weaker Norwegian krone against currencies like the Euro and the US dollar,” said Bakkevoll.
Norway exported salmon worth a total of NOK 11.2 billion (EUR 1.3 billion; USD 1.4 billion) in Q1 2015, an increase of 5 percent or NOK 536 million (EUR 62 million; USD 66.2 million) year-on-year.
The Scandinavian country’s salmon exports achieved a value of NOK 4.2 billion (EUR 485.5 million; USD 518.5 million) in March, an increase of 14 percent or NOK 533 million (EUR 61.6 million; USD 65.8 million) year-on-year. The average price achieved for whole fresh salmon for the month was NOK 41.48 (EUR 4.80; USD 5.12) per kg, down from NOK 43.91 (EUR 5.08; USD 5.42) per kg in March 2014.
Meanwhile, the export value of its fresh cod, including fillets, totaled NOK 869 million (EUR 100.4 million; USD 107.2 million) in Q1 2015, representing an increase of 14 percent or NOK 108 million (EUR 12.5 million; USD 13.3 million) year-on-year.
In March, Norway exported fresh cod with a total value of NOK 381 million (EUR 44 million; USD 47 million), which was 48 percent or NOK 124 million (EUR 14.3 million; USD 15.3 million) more than in the same month of last year.
However, the total value achieved by its frozen cod exports, including fillets, in Q1 2015 was NOK 456 million (EUR 52.7 million; USD 56.3 million), a decrease of 30 percent or NOK 196 million (EUR 22.7 million; USD 24.2 million).
There were also double-digit decreases in the values achieved by Norway’s herring and mackerel exports in Q1, with the products achieving totals of NOK 498 million (EUR 57.6 million; USD 61.4 million) and NOK 544 million (EUR 62.9 million; USD 67.1 million), respectively.
