“Reduced supplies from Norway combined with growth in demand is pushing up the price of Norwegian Salmon,” says Paul Aandahl, senior market analyst from the Norwegian Seafood Council. “This strong price rise has resulted in record value for Norwegian Salmon exports.”
Strong rise in prices for Norwegian Salmon
Since October 2012, export prices have been trending upwards. The average export price for fresh whole Norwegian Salmon has increased from NOK 25.73 per kg in October last year to NOK 37.69 per kg in March this year. In the first quarter of 2013 the average export price for fresh whole Norwegian Salmon was NOK 36.27 per kg. This is 32 per cent or NOK 8.84 per kg higher than in the first quarter of 2012.
Strong growth in exports to the EU
In the first quarter of 2013 , the volume of Norwegian Salmon exports in terms of product weight is down by four per cent to 217,000 tonnes. Yet despite this general downward trend for exports worldwide, first quarter exports to the EU were up by three per cent or 3,800 tonnes. The EU is the most important market for Norwegian Salmon, accounting for a 68 per cent share of total export volume. The most important growth markets in the EU in the first quarter were Poland, the UK and Germany. France is the biggest market, with exports of Norwegian Salmon on a par with first quarter 2012 levels, while exports to Denmark and Sweden were down.
Negative trend in export volume to eastern Europe and Asia
In the first quarter of 2013, the volume of exports of Norwegian Salmon to Asia was down by 6,400 tonnes compared to the same period last year. The biggest reduction was in export volume to Taiwan and Japan. The volume of exports to eastern Europe fell in total by 6,000 tonnes, attributable to a decline in exports to Russia.
Norwegian Fjord Trout exports at record value
The value of exports of Norwegian Fjord Trout set a new record high in the first quarter of 2013, totalling NOK 482 million. This is 20 per cent or NOK 79 million higher than in the same period last year. In terms of volume, exports in the same period increased by four per cent to a total of 13,000 tonnes. The volume of exports to Russia, the biggest export market for Norwegian Fjord Trout with a 50 per cent share of the total export volume, fell by four per cent in the first quarter. Exports to the next biggest market, Japan, were down in volume by nine per cent , while exports to Belarus were up in volume by 34 per cent .
