Norwegian seafood exports have had a record breaking start to 2022, already exceeding volumes exported during the whole of 2015 in six months alone.
In the first half of the year, Norway exported seafood worth €6.8 billion, an increase of 31% over the same period last year. June was the strongest June ever at €1.2 billion, up 35% from June 2021.
“Norwegian seafood exports have left behind a historically good first half year,” said Børge Grønbech, acting chief executive of the Norwegian Seafood Council.
A complex picture is behind the record increase. “Rising global food prices, lower raw material supply and strong growth in demand are the main reasons for this record,” continued Grønbech.
A fantastic year for salmon
Salmon still accounts for the largest share of export value, but also species such as trout, cod, saithe and haddock have contributed to the rises. Despite the strong value of seafood exports in the first half of the year, Grønbech points to challenges that may slow down growth in the future, such as high food inflation, weakened purchasing power, difficult logistics, increased costs and a shrinking supply of key species.
“Even though Norwegian seafood has a very strong global position and exports are constantly setting new records, it is easy to forget that the Norwegian seafood industry is also affected by high inflation and increasing production costs,” he said.
