Salmon exports continue to soar

Year-to-date salmon exports totalled NOK 33.6 billion (£2.64bn), up 6 per cent compared with the same period last year. Measured by product weight, 748,000 tonnes of salmon have been exported so far this year, an increase of 3.8 per cent compared with the same period in 2014.

”A combination of increased volume and considerably higher prices are the reasons for the rise in salmon export income. There is strong and continuing demand for fresh Norwegian salmon from our neighboring markets in EU,” says Paul T Aandahl, Salmon & Trout Analyst with the Norwegian Seafood Council.

Strong salmon prices

The average price achieved for fresh whole salmon in September was NOK 41.76 (£3.29) per kilo. This is 20 per cent higher than September 2014. The average price for salmon across the whole of this year has been NOK 41.73 per kilo, 1 per cent higher compared with the first nine months of 2014.

EU growth

Norwegian salmon exports to the EU totalled NOK 3.2 billion (£252 million) in September. This is an increase of 30 per cent compared with September 2014. So far this year, Norway exported salmon to the EU worth NOK 24.8 billion (£1.9 billion), an increase of 14 per cent compared with the same period last year.

Measured by volume, 74,500 tonnes of salmon were exported to the EU in September. This represents an increase of 12 per cent compared with September 2014. 571,000 tonnes of salmon have been exported to the EU year-to-date. This is 63,000 tonnes more than the same period last year. The biggest buyers of Norwegian salmon, both year-to-date and in the month of September, were Poland and France.

Increased exports to Asia and the US

Norway exported salmon to Asia worth NOK 592 million (£46 million) in September, an increase of 4 per cent compared with September 2014. In the year-to-date Norway exported salmon worth NOK 5.3 billion (£420 million) to the Asian markets, an increase of 13 per cent compared to the same period in 2014. Year-to-date exports by volume to Asia totalled 111,000 tonnes.

Norway exported salmon worth NOK 223 million (£17.6 million) to the United States in September. This represents an increase of 50 per cent compared to September last year. So far this year Norway has exported salmon worth NOK 1.8 billion (£140m) to the US. This is an increase of NOK 430 million (£34m) compared with the same period in 2014. Measured by volume, salmon exports increased by 38 per cent this year, to total 27,500 tonnes.

Trout exports down

Norway exported trout to a value of NOK 198 million (£15.6m) last month, down by 4 per cent compared to September 2014. The biggest purchasers of Norwegian trout in September were Japan and Canada. The average export price achieved for fresh whole trout was NOK 38.20 (£3.01) per kilo, the same price as a year ago.

In the year-to-date, trout exports were worth NOK 1.5 billion (£120m), a reduction of 14 per cent, compared with the same period last year. So far this year Norway has exported 35,000 tonnes of trout measured by product weight, a reduction of 3,300 tonnes compared to the first nine months of 2014.