The Norwegian Seafood Council has said that Norway exported 2.9 million tonnes of seafood, equivalent to a value of NOK 151.4 billion (€14 billion), in 2022.
The total is a record for export value and corresponds to 40 million meals every day – all year round.
The council's report shows that the value of seafood exports has increased by NOK 30.7 billion (€2.8 billion), or 25%, compared with the previous record year, 2021.
All Year Round
For the first time, Norway exported more than NOK 10 billion (€931 million) worth of seafood in each of the twelve months of the year. In addition, salmon exports exceeded NOK 100 billion (€9.3 billion). This has never happened before, it noted.
The export record comes despite lower export volumes for several species, such as salmon, herring, mackerel, cod, king crab, and snow crab.
Norwegian seafood exports have seen strong value growth in recent years. In 2015, Norway exported NOK 74 billion (€6.8 billion) worth of seafood. In seven years, the value has thus doubled.
Also, in 2022, salmon accounted for the largest share of Norwegian seafood exports, with 70% of the total value. Followed by cod (8%), mackerel (4%), trout (3%), herring (3%) and shellfish (1%).
Future Concerns
However, the CEO of the Norwegian Seafood Council, Christian Chramer, nevertheless warned that Norway cannot take further export growth for granted in the future. He emphasised that global trade is strongly affected by the war in Ukraine, an increase in trade barriers, and a coronavirus pandemic that remains concerning.
Chramer said this is happening in parallel with consumers experiencing weakened purchasing power and competition from other nations and other protein sources hardening.
“Although the total value of Norwegian seafood exports was at a record high in 2022, trading conditions were demanding for many who produce our seafood,” Charmer said. “We must keep this in mind on a day when there is a lot of focus on export records”.
©2023 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest fresh produce news. Article by Robert McHugh. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
