Norway exported seafood worth NOK 6.8 billion (EUR 722.4 million; USD 785.3 million) last month, which represented an increase of 29 percent or NOK 1.5 billion (EUR 159.4 million; USD 173.2 million) compared to February 2015.
So far this year, the Scandinavian country has exported seafood worth NOK 13.6 billion (EUR 1.4 billion; USD 1.6 billion), an increase of 24 percent or NOK 2.6 billion (EUR 276.2 million; USD 300.3 million) year-on-year.
"A total growth of 29 percent bears witness to an industry that is prospering. Nearly all sectors have solid development in February. Record-high prices led to an increase of NOK 863 million (EUR 91.7 million; USD 99.7 million) for salmon, compared with February last year. There is strong growth for nearly all whitefish, the pelagic sector had its best February in several years, and on top of all of this, we see that crab exports have increased by 317 percent,” said Geir Havard Hanssen, director of communications at the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC).
Hanssen added that growth in demand, high prices and a favorable foreign currency situation deserve a good deal of the credit for several records being beaten in February.
In terms of its pelagic trade, Norway exported NOK 351 million (EUR 37.3 million; USD 40.5 million) worth of herring last month, an increase of 124 percent or NOK 194 million (EUR 20.6 million; USD 22.4 million) compared with February 2015. The most important markets for the product were Ukraine, Germany and Poland. Meanwhile, its mackerel exports increased by 61 percent or NOK 126 million (EUR 13.4 million; USD 14.6 million) to NOK 333 million (EUR 35.4 million; USD 38.5 million). Ghana was the largest recipient of Norwegian mackerel, importing NOK 50 million (EUR 5.3 million; USD 5.8 million) worth of the species last month.
Leading the way in its shellfish trade, Norway’s crab exports achieved a total value of NOK 83 million (EUR 8.8 million; USD 9.6 million) last month, comprising NOK 59 million (EUR 6.3 million; USD 6.8 million) worth of king crab and NOK 23 million (EUR 2.4 million; USD 2.7 million) worth of snow crab. The value of its shrimp exports increased by 104 percent to NOK 50 million.
