Best half-year ever for Norwegian seafood exports. In the first half of 2019, Norway exported 1.3 million tonnes of seafood with an export value of NOK 51.2 billion. This is a 13 per cent decrease in volume, but an increase of 7 per cent, or NOK 3.1 billion in value, measured against the same period in 2018.
“In value terms, this is a new record for Norwegian seafood exports in a six month period. Norwegian salmon accounts for about two-thirds of the growth in value this half-year, and we are also seeing a decent increase in value in the shellfish category”.
The decline in volume compared to the same period last year is mainly due to reduced exports of blue whiting and lack of soldering quota.
Demand for Norwegian seafood remains steady, and we see better conditions of access to individual markets. In addition, the value of exports has been influenced by the currency situation, where a weak Norwegian krone has meant higher prices for exports of Norwegian seafood to euro and dollar markets.
“The sum of these factors explains a record-setting half year for Norwegian seafood exports,” says Tom-Jørgen Gangsø, Director of Market Insight and Market Access with the Norwegian Seafood Council.
Norway has exported 163,000 tonnes of seafood to a value of NOK 7.9 billion in June. This reflects a volume decline of 19 per cent. Export value is at the same level as in June 2018.
Norway exported 506,000 tonnes of salmon to a value of NOK 34.6 billion in the first half of 2019. This represents an increase of 5 per cent measured in volume, while the value increased by NOK 2.1 billion or 6 per cent compared with the first half of 2018. Poland, France and Denmark were the largest recipients of salmon from Norway in the first half of 2019.
“We have seen stronger production outputs of salmon in the first half of the year than was expected at the beginning of the year. At the same time, we have experienced a growth in demand, especially from the EU and Asia.
“The growth in demand, together with a weak krone, explains why we have also experienced price inflation, while volumes have increased” says Tom-Jørgen Gangsø.