Press release -
All time record for Norwegian codfish exports in 2014
2014 has been the best year ever for Norwegian exports of cod, saithe, haddock and other whitefish, both in terms of value and volume. Norway exported cod, saithe, haddock and other codfish to a combined value of NOK 12 billion in 2014. This is 20 per cent, or NOK 2 billion more than in 2013. Exports by volume totalled 442,000 tonnes. This is a 3 per cent increase on 2013 volumes.
In 2014 the Norwegian codfish brought joy to exporters and set new sales records for both fresh, frozen and clipfish varieties. Codfish exports totalled NOK 7.2 billion, 25 per cent more than in 2013. The volume of codfish exports rose by 13 per cent, to reach 260 000 tonnes in 2014.
”Following several years of low codfish prices, we have finally seen prices rise, and this combined with high volume has created this record year for codfish sales”, says Ove Johansen from the Norwegian Seafood Council. ”In addition, a favourable currency situation has also been a great help for codfish exporters in the past year”, Johansen observes.
Biggest ever year for clipfish exports
Norway exported clipfish to a value of NOK 3.7 billion in 2014. This is 19 per cent, or NOK 586 million more than in 2013. Total exported volume reached 99,135 tonnes of clipfish, 2542 tons more than in 2013. Again setting a new record.
Of this total, exports of Atlantic cod clipfish were worth NOK 1.9 billion, an increase of NOK 334 million compared to 2013. The value of clipfish saithe totalled NOK 1.4 billion, which is an increase of NOK 218 year-on-year. Tusk, long and other clipfish also increased from NOK 301 million in 2013 to NOK 336 million in 2014.
The largest single market for clipfish is Portugal, where total exports reached NOK 1.1 billion, an increase of NOK 276 million on 2013 totals. Brazil was the second largest market in total and the biggest market for saithe clipfish, which saw an uplift in sales of NOK 202 million to reach a new total of NOK 1 billion.
A good year for saltfish
Exports of salted fish, both whole and fillets, increased by 18 per cent, or NOK 137 million, to a new total of NOK 909 million in 2014. The volume of salted fish exports grew by 2 per cent, reaching a total of 31,766 tonnes. Portugal accounted for 70 per cent of all Norwegian salted fish in 2014, which equates to a value of NOK 614 million.
Nigeria is the biggest market for dried fish
Norway exported dried fish and dried products worth NOK 899 million in 2014. This is 23 per cent more than in 2013. The volume of dried fish and dried products increased by 35 per cent in 2014, totalling 18,126 tonnes. This consists of 7,406 tonnes of whole dried fish and 10,584 tonnes of dried heads and backs.
Italy and San Marino imported Lofoten stockfish cod worth NOK 286 million. This is 8 per cent less than in 2013. The total volume was 2,546 tonnes in 2014, slightly down from from 2,713 tonnes imported by the Italian market in 2013.
Nigeria purchased whole dried fish worth NOK 254 million in 2014, an increase of 64 per cent from 2013. The Nigerian market imported dried heads and backs to a value of NOK 232 million, totalling NOK 486 million. This represents an increase of 57 per cent on the 2013 Nigerian export totals.
Prices reach record levels for frozen codfish products
Exports of frozen codfish products increased by NOK 730 million to a 2014 total of NOK 4.4 billion. Prices have reached levels not seen before.
Whole round frozen cod, haddock and redfish account for much of the growth, and the price increases account for the boost in export value. The total export value of whole round frozen codfish was NOK 3.6 billion, 23 per cent or NOK 677 million more than in 2013. The value of frozen fillets of codfish has increased by 7 per cent, to NOK 751 million.
For frozen fillets the United Kingdom is the largest market, with a 45 per cent share. For round frozen whole fish China is the main export market, with a 46 per cent share of Norwegian codfish exports.
Higher volumes and sales to more markets makes a record year for fresh fish
The combined export value of all fresh codfish products totalled NOK 2.4 billion. This is a gain of 23 per cent, or NOK 443 million, on totals for 2013. Exports by volume totalled 103,959 tonnes, once again establishing new records, both for export value, and for export volume.
Fresh fillets increased by NOK 50 million to reach a total of NOK 457 million in 2014. This is underpinned by price increases for most species. The price of fresh cod fillets increased by 10 per cent and the price of fresh haddock fillets increased by 15 per cent in 2014.
Norway exported fresh whole cod to a value of NOK 1.2 billion in 2014, this is 37 per cent, or NOK 328 million more than in 2013. The price for fresh whole cod was on average 8 per cent higher than 2013 levels. Although over half of all fresh whole cod travel through Denmark before being distributed across Europe and beyond, the number of markets for fresh codfish and skrei grew from 40 to 45 in 2014.
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For further statistics and information on Norwegian seafood exports in 2014 see www.seafood.no
The Norwegian Seafood Council is a joint marketing organisation for the Norwegian seafood industry and invested NOK 504 million in 2014 to develop markets on behalf of Norwegian seafood exporters. The council has its head office in Tromsø and offices in thirteen of Norway’s most important seafood export markets. The Norwegian seafood industry finances the activities of the council through fees levied on all exports of Norwegian seafood. The Norwegian Seafood Council is a public company owned by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Fisheries.
