”The fall in prices for Norwegian Cod and haddock that we saw in 2009 has been reversed during 2010,” says market analyst Ove Johansen from the Norwegian Seafood Export Council.
”The combination of increased quotas and the upward trend in prices has culminated in record exports for a number of Norwegian Cod products. There is no doubt that Norwegian Cod is a product that is in great demand,” says Johansen.
New export record for clipfish
In 2010, exports of clipfish totalled NOK 3.6 billion. This is an increase of 16% or NOK 491 million compared to 2009 and marks a new export record. The volume of clipfish exports increased by 12% or 10,330 tonnes to a total of 97,350 tonnes. Much of this increase is attributable to exports of Norwegian Cod clipfish, which increased by over NOK 275 million, while exports of Norwegian saithe clipfish grew by over NOK 148 million.
Brazil, which saw the value of exports in 2010 increase by 30% to total almost NOK 1.3 billion, is now our biggest export market for clipfish. Close behind is Portugal, with exports of clipfish in 2010 totalling almost NOK 1.1 billion, up by 11% from 2009.
Growth in exports of salted fish
In 2010, exports of salted fish totalled NOK 929 million, an increase of more than 3% or NOK 31 million compared to 2009. The volume of exports in 2010 stood at 31,122 tonnes, up by 3,900 tonnes or 14% from the previous year. Exports to Portugal grew by 28% or NOK 102 million from 2009, consolidating Portugal’s position as Norway’s biggest export market for salted fish.
Exports of stockfish up in volume
In 2010, exports of all stockfish products totalled NOK 650 million, on a par with the figure for 2009. However, the volume of exports increased by 11% to a total of 7,845 tonnes, the highest registered annual export volume since the early 1990s. The biggest markets for stockfish are Italy at NOK 377.4 million and Nigeria at NOK 151.6 million. Nigeria has grown from a 1% share of the total volume of stockfish exports in 1994 to a 43% share in 2010. Compared to 2009, the volume of exports of stockfish to Nigeria in 2010 increased by 20% to a total of 3,375 tonnes.
Best year in a decade for exports of groundfish products
In 2010, exports of frozen groundfish products totalled NOK 3.3 billion, higher than at any time since the late 1990s. Compared to 2009, growth in 2010 in the value of exports was an impressive 18%, while the volume of exports was up by 7% to total 177,480 tonnes. Much of this growth was accounted for by sizeable exports of frozen whole haddock and Norwegian Cod to China. Exports of frozen whole haddock increased by 26% to NOK 757 million, while exports of frozen whole Norwegian Cod totalled NOK 610 million, up 34% from 2009.
Exports of frozen fillets of groundfish increased by 10% or NOK 103 million to a total of NOK 1.1 billion in 2010. This is attributable to good growth in exports to the UK, primarily of frozen fillet blocks of Norwegian Cod. Exports of this product in 2010 reached a total value of NOK 232 million, up a massive 88% from 2009.
Increase in exports of fresh products
In 2010, exports of fresh whole groundfish increased in value by 12% to a total of NOK 1.05 billion compared to 2009. Exports of fresh Norwegian Cod caught in the wild totalled NOK 390 million, while exports of fresh haddock totalled NOK 216 million. These figures represent growth of 6% and 65% respectively compared to 2009.
Exports of fresh fillets of Norwegian Cod, saithe and haddock totalled NOK 516 million in 2010, thereby setting a new export record. Never before have exports of these products been so high in terms of either value or volume. For the first time, the export volume of fresh fillets has passed the 8,000 tonnes mark to reach a total of 8,470 tonnes. This is an increase of 13% compared to 2009. Denmark is the biggest importer of fresh fillets from Norway, accounting for 70% of Norway’s total exports.
New record for exports of farmed groundfish
In 2010, the value of exports of farmed groundfish totalled NOK 380 million, an increase of 9% or NOK 30.7 million compared to 2009. The majority of this growth is attributable to exports of farmed whole Norwegian Cod, which totalled NOK 264.4 million, up by 28% or NOK 57.3 million from 2009. The biggest market is Sweden, which grew by 30% in 2010. Exports of farmed Norwegian Cod fillets, on the other hand, fell by NOK 37.5 million or 55% in 2010 to a total value of NOK 31 million.
The value of exports of farmed halibut totalled NOK 70.8 million in 2010, an increase of 15% or NOK 9.5 million compared to 2009. France and the UK are the two biggest markets for farmed halibut.
