Norway: 32 months in a row of record salmon exports

April also saw the volume of exports up by 6% to 57,000t.

“In April, exports of Norwegian Salmon set a record for the 32nd month in a row. This is due primarily to the global demand for salmon, which has resulted in prices increasing worldwide with consequent higher export revenues for Norway,” explains Paul Aandahl, market analyst from the Norwegian Seafood Export Council.

Salmon prices have been steadily increasing during 2011 and in April the average price for fresh whole Norwegian salmon with head was NOK42.69 per kg. This is NOK1.97 higher than the previous month and NOK3.88 up on the same month last year. This year to date, the average price for fresh whole Norwegian salmon is NOK40.88 per kg, up by NOK6.39 compared to the same period last year.

Exports of Norwegian seafood to the EU in the first four months increased in value by 17%. This is a full percentage point higher than the average growth rate for all markets. The volume of exports in the same period was down by 1%.

The strong growth in exports to the USA seen in 2009 and 2010 has gone into steep reversal. In the first four months, the value of exports to the USA totalled NOK422m, a reduction of NOK224m compared to the same period last year. The downturn is attributable primarily to reduced exports of fresh fillets.

Increasing quantities of Norwegian salmon are being consumed in the east. Despite the relatively high price of Norwegian salmon, the volume of exports to markets in eastern Europe and Asia is on the increase. In the first four months of the year, the volume of exports of Norwegian salmon products to these regions totalled 67,000t, an increase of 8% compared to the same period last year. The value of exports in the same period showed strong growth of 30% to a total of NOK2.8bn.