Norway exported 42,000 metric tons (MT) of fresh cod worth NOK 1.5 billion (USD 185.2 million, EUR 156 million) in the opening four months of this year. While this represented a five percent decrease in volume from the corresponding period of 2017, higher prices raised the export value by three percent or NOK 49 million (USD 6 million, EUR 5.1 million).
The fresh cod earnings for January through April included Norwegian skrei, which amounted to 5,100 MT worth a record NOK 198 million (USD 24.4 million, EUR 20.6 million), with the volume on par with last year and the value up 10 percent or NOK 17 million (USD 2.1 million, EUR 1.8 million) year-on-year.
At the same time, the Scandinavian country exported 27,000 MT of frozen cod with a value of NOK 950 million (USD 117.3 million, EUR 98.8 million), with respective increases of four percent and 10 percent.
Ingrid Kristine Pettersen, whitefish analyst with the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC), said that the cod trade is approaching the levels achieved in the “record year of 2016,” and added that the volume of live, caged cod would help the sector to maintain fresh cod supplies to markets over the coming months.
"High cod and haddock prices continue to help boost the value of Norwegian seafood. Despite a season of good weather, lower quotas have led to lower catches this year than last year. At the same time, more fresh whole skrei has been exported this year compared with last year, at elevated prices. This means that we have achieved an export record for skrei with a value of almost NOK 200 million,” Pettersen said. “These are the fruits of long-term work between several actors to establish the stage for skrei as a high-quality product in the markets. Spain is a spearhead importer and we also see that skrei is starting to be adopted by French consumers.”
According to Hildegunn Fure Osmundsvåg, NSC’s country manager for Spain, skrei is regarded as the best Norwegian cod in the market, “almost like a pata negra (premium ham),” and the supermarkets “do a good job” of marketing it.
Spain imported five percent more fresh whole cod in the first four months of this year, while the value of those products jumped 18 percent in value.
Overall, Norway exported 927,000 MT of seafood in January through April 2018 worth NOK 31.5 billion (USD 3.9 billion, EUR 3.3 billion), with the volume at the same level as last year, while the value increased two percent or NOK 485 million (USD 59.9 million, EUR 50.4 million).
In 2017 as a whole, Norway exported a record 2.6 million MT of seafood worth NOK 94.5 billion (USD 11.7 billion, EUR 9.8 billion).
