FIS - Worldnews - Salmon exports reach record high

Welcome to FIS

Sponsored By

Norwegian salmon steaks. (Photo Credit: Astrid Hals/NSEC)

Salmon exports reach record high

NORWAY
Monday, July 07, 2014, 01:30 (GMT + 9)

The value of exports of Norwegian salmon during the first six months of 2014 totalled NOK 21.5 billion (USD 3.47 billion). According to figures from the Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC), this is the highest export value ever recorded for the first six months of any year.

The figures show an increase in the value of Norwegian salmon exports of NOK 4,100 million (USD 662.3 million), or 24 per cent, compared to same period last year. Measured in product growth, the exported volume underwent an increase of nine per cent to 469,000 tonnes.

“The increase in the value of Norwegian salmon exports during the first six months of 2014 is attributable to an increase in the demand for salmon. In 2014, we saw an increase in both the export volume and the price of salmon,” says Paul T. Aandahl, Branch manager for salmon and trout at the NSC.

In the month of June, Norway exported NOK 3,300 million (USD 533 million) worth of salmon, an increase of 14 per cent compared to last year. Measured in product growth, this corresponds to a quantum of 84,000 tonnes of salmon and an increase of 22 per cent compared to June 2013.

The average export price for fresh whole Norwegian salmon during the first six months of the year was NOK 43.48 (USD 7) per kilo, an increase of eleven per cent compared to the same period last year. The export price in June was NOK 36.03 (USD 5.8), which is twelve per cent lower than the average price during the same month in 2013.

The value of exports of Norwegian salmon to the EU in the first half of 2014 totalled close to NOK 14.6 billion (USD 2.35 billion), up 23 per cent from the same period last year. Measured in product weight, the exported volume totalled 325,000 tonnes, up ten per cent compared to 2013 and this totalled just over 69 per cent of salmon exports to countries in the EU during the first six months of the year.

Poland was the largest market for Norwegian salmon during the first six months of the year, with an export volume of 58,000 tonnes, up six per cent from last year.

Measured in value, the export of salmon to Eastern Europe totalled NOK 2,400 million (USD 387 million) during the first six months of the year. This is the same level as last year. However, the volume was down twelve per cent, or 8,000 tonnes, compared to the same period last year. The reason for the drop in the export volume is a reduced supply to the Russian and Ukrainian markets. Exports to other countries in the region are stable or increasing.

The value of export of Norwegian salmon to Asia during the first six months of 2014 totalled NOK 3,100 million (USD 500 million), up 30 per cent from the same period last year. This growth was driven by a volume increase of 15 per cent, to a total of 63,000 tonnes during the first half of the year.

The value of exports of Norwegian salmon to the US during the first six months of 2014 totalled NOK 900 million (USD 145.3 million), up 125 per cent from the same period last year. Measured in product weight, the export volume nearly doubled, to a total of 13,000 tonnes.

The value of exports of Norwegian fjord trout during the first half of 2014 increased by NOK 228 million (USD 36.8 million), or 22 per cent, to a total export value of NOK 1,200 million (USD 193 million). In June, exports increased by NOK 7 million (USD 1.1 million), or four per cent, to a total of NOK 182 million (USD 29.4 million). The biggest markets for Norwegian fjord trout are Russia and Japan.