Norwegian seafood exporters shipped 163,000 metric tons (MT) of fisheries and aquaculture products worth NOK 7.6 billion (USD 902.1 million, EUR 804.1 million) to overseas markets last month, with the volume on par with May 2016 and the value up 13 percent year-on-year, according to new figures published by the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC).
For the first five months of the year, Norway exported 1.1 million MT of seafood worth NOK 39 billion (USD 4.6 billion, EUR 4.1 billion), representing an increase in volume of 3 percent and a rise in value of 9 percent or NOK 3.2 billion (USD 379.9 million, EUR 338.6 million).
“In May, we saw growth in exports for all the major commercial species such as salmon, cod, haddock and saithe. In particular, demand for Norwegian salmon in Asia increased. This means that an increasing proportion of Norwegian salmon goes to raw consumption. The salmon price was NOK 70 (USD 8.31, EUR 7.41) per kg in May, which is the second highest price measured this year,” said Paul Aandahl analyst at the NSC.
Norway exported 73,000 MT of salmon in May, down 5 percent or 3,800 MT year-on-year, although the NSC highlighted that exports to the EU fell by 6,150 MT. In value terms, its salmon exports totaled NOK 535 million (USD 63.5 million, EUR 56.6 million) last month, up 11 percent compared with May 2016.
For January through May 2017, Norway exported 377,000 MT of salmon, worth NOK 26 billion (USD 3.1 billion, EUR 2.8 billion), said NSC. At the same time, it exported 14,000 MT of trout, worth NOK 1.1 billion (USD 130.6 million, EUR 116.4 million).
The NSC also highlighted that the Scandinavian country shipped increased volumes of fresh and frozen cod last month. Its fresh cod shipments, including fillets, increased by 51 percent to 5,400 MT with a value of NOK 178 million (USD 21.1 million, EUR 18.8 million) – a rise of 42 percent. Its frozen cod exports, meanwhile, amounted to 7,200 MT with a value of NOK 237 million (USD 28.1 million, EUR 25.1 million) – up 25 percent and 33 percent respectively.
Denmark, France and Poland were the largest recipients of Norwegian fresh cod last month, while China, the United Kingdom and Lithuania were the main markets for its frozen cod.
