Cod by Northumberland / Seafood Seafood from Norway

Norwegian cod exports in May (fresh, frozen, dried, salted...)

NORWAY
Wednesday, June 07, 2023, 01:00 (GMT + 9)

A decline in exports of fresh cod

• Norway exported 4,277 tonnes of fresh cod worth NOK 246 million in May
• Export value increased by NOK 29 million, or 13 per cent, compared to May last year
• Export volume fell by 9 per cent
• Denmark, the Netherlands, and Sweden were the biggest markets for fresh cod in May

The decrease in landings of fresh cod also continued in May, and even with increased exports of farmed cod, this resulted in a decrease in total exports of fresh cod.

10.5 per cent of the export value of fresh cod in May was farmed cod, and the export volume of farmed cod increased from 100 tonnes in May last year to over 500 tonnes this year.

Export volume growth for Spain and France

“The export volume to our transit market Denmark fell, while Spain and France stand out due to significant volume growth. All direct exports of fresh cod to Spain in May were farmed cod, while to France the volume of both fillets and whole wild-caught cod increased”, says Eivind Hestvik Brækkan, Seafood Analyst with the Norwegian Seafood Council.

Export volume to Spain increased by 70 per cent in May, ending at 177 tonnes, and an export value totalling NOK 11 million.

The export volume to France more than doubled to 163 tonnes, and a total export value of NOK 10.2 million.

Decline to China affected exports of frozen cod

• Norway exported 7,256 tonnes of frozen cod with a value of NOK 403 million in May
• The export value fell by NOK 34 million, or 8 per cent, compared to May last year
• Export volume fell by 11 per cent
• Great Britain, China and Poland were the biggest markets for frozen cod in May

The decline for frozen cod is driven by almost a halving of the volume to China, falling from 2,100 tonnes in May last year to 1,200 tonnes this year.

The UK had the greatest increase in value in May, with an increase of NOK 51 million, or 64 per cent, compared to the same month last year.

Growth for frozen whole cod and frozen fillets to the UK

“The export volume to Great Britain in May ended at 1,900 tonnes, which is 58 per cent higher than the same month last year. Exports of both frozen whole cod and frozen fillets to Great Britain increased in May. Only a month earlier, more frozen whole cod had been exported to Great Britain in a single month, and this was in October 2016”, says Eivind Hestvik Brækkan, Seafood Analyst with the Norwegian Seafood Council.

So far this year, more than 7,000 tonnes of frozen cod have been exported to Great Britain, and we must go all the way back to 2002 to find a similar volume after the first five months of the year.

Strong position for whitefish in the British market

“The May figures still show strong demand for Norwegian whitefish and frozen cod. This confirms the close seafood bond between Norway and Great Britain and the strong position of Norwegian white fish among British consumers. A significant part of the British favourite dish fish & chips is made with Norwegian fish”, says Victoria Braathen, the Norwegian Seafood Council's envoy to the UK.

Demanding times

At the same time, she emphasizes that there are still challenging times for many UK consumers.

“Increased costs, coupled with the fact that Britons work more from home, means that there are more occasions to eat at home and therefore an opportunity to develop the seafood category through product development and marketing”, says Braathen.

A decline in clipfish exports

• Norway exported 4,600 tonnes of clipfish totalling NOK 330 million in May
• The export value fell by NOK 206 million, or 38 per cent, compared to May last year
• Export volume fell by 43 per cent
• Portugal, the Dominican Republic and Brazil were the largest markets for clipfish in May

The export volume for cod clipfish fell by 54 per cent to 1,500 tonnes, and the export value ended at NOK 178 million, while the export volume of seine clipfish fell by 37 per cent to 2,650 tonnes and an export value of NOK 126 million.

“Both cod clipfish of cod and pollack saw a significant decrease in export volume to all the largest markets in May”, says Eivind Hestvik Brækkan, Seafood Analyst with the Norwegian Seafood Council.

Fall in volume but increase in value for salted fish exports

• Norway exported 4,311 tonnes of salted fish to a value of NOK 374 million in May
• Export value increased by NOK 12 million, or 3 per cent, compared to May last year
• Export volume fell by 17 per cent
• Portugal, Spain, and Italy were the biggest markets for salted fish in May

The decline in exports of salted fish continues in May.

Less cod available

“Lower landings of fresh whole cod during this year's fishing season have resulted in less cod available for salting. When, in addition, there has been a lower proportion of landings of large cod this year, which traditionally go to salting, this results in a lower export volume for salted cod", says Eivind Hestvik Brækkan, Seafood Analyst with the Norwegian Seafood Council.

Increase to Portugal

Portugal had the greatest increase in value in May, with an increase in export value of NOK 23 million, or 7 per cent, compared to the same month last year.

The export volume to Portugal ended at 3,762 tonnes, which is 13 per cent lower than in the same month last year.

Export value gains for dried fish

• Norway exported 163 tonnes of dried fish to a value of NOK 47 million in May
• The value increased by NOK 13 million, or 39 per cent, compared to May last year
• The volume fell by 13 per cent
• Italy, the USA, and the UK were the biggest markets for dried fish in May

The export volume to our largest dried fish market, Italy, fell by 21 per cent in May, to 85 tonnes.

“The export value to Italy ended at NOK 27 million, which is an increase of 18 per cent compared to May last year. So far this year, the export volume of dried fish to Italy is 920 tonnes. This is 2 per cent lower than last year”, says seafood analyst Eivind Hestvik Brækkan with the Norwegian Seafood Council.

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