Page 23 - Seafood, Fishing & Aquaculture 2017-2018

Atlantic cod, on the other hand, is a are being exported while only about
completely new product in China. There 18 000 tons, mainly Pangasius from Asia,
is in fact not a Chinese word for cod. is imported. With a growth in consumption
Still one sees a large and increasing of 5 % annually, India will be short of one
demand for high quality seafood among million tons of seafood by 2025. Some of
the Chinese. Through the project “Cod in the demand will be replaced by land-based
China” the Norwegian Seafood Council and marine aquaculture and some from
has revealed that Norwegian cod has a sea fi shing with ocean going vessels that
signifi cant potential in the market. can fi sh further from the coast. The import
of seafood will nevertheless constitute an
- We defi nitely see the biggest potential increased share of the consumption.
for cod as everyday dinner for the growing
middle class in the domestic market. It With an Indian middle class estimated at says Norwegian Seafood Council’s project
is amazing how well cod fi ts the Chinese about 400 million and constantly growing, manager for India, Yogi Shergill.
cuisine. It is easy to replace other types there should be between 20 and 30 Today the Norwegian Seafood Council
of fi sh with cod when making traditional million potential consumers for Norwegian focuses on cities like Mumbai, Delhi,
Chinese seafood meals. You end up seafood in the big cities. The most obvious Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Chennai,
with a safe, healthy and tasty meal, challenges for sales increase are the low Pune plus the tourist destination Goa.
explains Bjørgo while adding that there Indian prices, which make Norwegian These are cities with good purchasing
is an increasing interest in Norwegian seafood seem expensive in comparison. power and places where fi sh are being
cod. Several Norwegian and Chinese consumed. The main focus will be market-
companies work to develop this exciting - We are talking about fresh salmon at oriented promotions with food tasting in
market. The Seafood Council estimates 300 NOK per kilo and smoked salmon at the larger grocery stores. Salmon and cod
that within fi ve years of relevant distribution 1000 NOK per kilo while local fi sh cost on will also be promoted for conferences,
the potential may be 20 000 tons. the average between 30 and 170 NOK per wedding markets, restaurants and hotels.
kilo. Norwegian export has been low due The Seafood Council will also consider
Salmon paving way in India to high import duties, at times as high as using Indian celebrities as part of the
India has a population of 1.3 billion, 37%. Another hindrance is that salmon marketing. Shergill says that there are
expected to increase to 1.5 billion by and cod are not well-known among the already a handful Norwegian exporters
2025. Even though the consumption of middle class. This is why the market is working with local importers. They are
seafood today is a modest six kilos per small today, only a total of 450 tons of small, regional and fragmented companies,
person annually, it has increased six fold salmon, the Norwegian share being about but several big supermarkets are taking
over the last 20 years. The consumption 40%. It is worth noting that Indians mainly over the cold storage from harbors and
of fresh fi sh has seen a high increases due eat whitefi sh, which is a niche where airports. It will be natural for them to
to a general mistrust of frozen food. India Norwegian cod can compete against consider importing directly from Norwegian
exports substantially more seafood than local fi sh, even on price. This is an area fi sh farmers or exporters.
it imports. Approximately 920 000 tons, we are planning to look at, especially in
mainly fresh water shrimps and scampi, Kolkata, where fi sh is eaten almost daily, - We also see IKEA’s focus on India as a
way to make salmon more known as the
company is planning to serve salmon in
their many cafeterias. IKEA plans to build
25 warehouses in different parts of India,
which may lead to the Indian middle class
starting to purchase more salmon. 25 million
middle class Indians eating one kilo salmon
a year, equals 25 000 tons of salmon. That
is my dream, but we still have a long way to
go, concludes Seafood Council’s project
manager for India, Yogi Shergill.

Ten housewives were invited to a
cooking class with Chef Saby in Mumbai to
make dishes based on Norwegian salmon.
The women all belong to the middle class.
This is the market that needs convincing
that salmon is a great alternative.
© The Norwegian Seafood Council.
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seafood, fi shing & aquaculture