Norwegian seafood exports to China maintain robust growth in 2019

By Deng Zijun Source:Global Times Published: 2019/9/17 15:13:23

Aerial photo taken on September 8 shows a Salmon farm in Bergen, Norway. Photo: Deng Zijun/GT


 
Norway has witnessed a big jump in seafood exports during the first eight months of this year, as their total value has increased by 38 percent compared to the same period last year, data from the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC) showed. 

The volume of seafood exported to China was 99,723 tons, and the value reached 3.2 billion Norwegian krones ($357.16 million) from January to August this year, the NSC said on Tuesday.  

A total of 146 countries and regions imported seafood from Norway in 2019, among which China is the third-largest recipient in terms of volume, following Denmark and Poland, the NSC said.  

Salmon, Arctic cod, haddock, mackerel and Greenland halibut are the top five most popular species for the Chinese market. 16,412 tons of fresh salmon were exported to China, with an 84-percent year-on-year increase. The figure already overtook that of 2018, which saw 12,000 tons. 

"Based on our annual consumer studies, 44 percent of Chinese consumers consider Norway as their preferred country of origin for salmon, which provides a very good basis for further developing the Chinese market. If the present trend continues, we can expect that the total export will be more than 20,000 tons in 2019," Victoria Braathen, director of the Norwegian Seafood Council for the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, told the Global Times.  

"The mackerel market is also growing in China," said Roy Angelvik, State Secretary for the Minister of Fisheries, adding that 85 percent of imported mackerel was exported again to Japan after processing in China. 

Angelvik also said that China and Norway have big potential in terms of fishery science and technology, in a bid to boost the trade volume between the two countries.

Posted in: EUROPE,INDUSTRIES

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