 Which products should the Norwegian seafood industry focus on to become winners in the market? |
Marketing researchers at Fiskeriforskning will face these important issues in the coming years. With fresh funds from the Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs, they are starting work on a project to uncover how Norwegian companies can increase the value of their products.
How can they increase the value?
Large parts of the Norwegian seafood industry have traditionally had a strong focus on standard products with large volumes and low production costs. The result is that the companies are operating in very competitive markets and that much of the processing is being done abroad.
In recent years, the white fish industry in particular has struggled financially. An important question then becomes how the companies can better position themselves in the market and become winners in the cut-throat competition with seafood from other countries.
"What are the Norwegian manufacturers doing to increase the value of seafood and to stand out so that precisely their products are prioritised on the shop shelves?" asks Scientist Lorentz Thode Lorentzen.
Unique opportunities
Proximity to the fishing grounds, efficient transport solutions and increasingly larger volumes of farmed fish provide the Norwegian manufacturers with unique opportunities to offer fresh fish to the market.
Which opportunities are the companies trying to exploit, to what degree are they succeeding with their efforts, and what challenges are they meeting? The scientists want answers to these questions.
During the autumn of 2006, the scientists will complete the first rounds of interviews in both the salmon and white fish industries.
The work with the new research project at Fiskeriforskning is financed by the Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs, and one of the project's goals is to develop competence in and understanding of how Norwegian seafood companies can increase their value added and competitive strength.
Would you like further information on this subject?
Please contact Scientist Lorentz Thode Lorentzen dir. tel. (+47) 77 62 91 28 or Senior Scientist Geir Grundvg Ottesen dir. tel. (+47) 77 62 90 91.
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