Page 18 - Norway export Seafood, Fishing&Aquaculture 2018-19

Feeding China’s

Growing Middle Class

Norwegian salmon exports could make a major impasse
into the Chinese market, the world’s largest seafood consumer.

By Valeria Criscione

Norway recently made a milestone of Chinese market following a seven Aquaculture Conference in Oslo this past
agreement with China towards the years’ political row. Exports of Norwegian September. “The signing of the salmon
normalization of Norwegian salmon salmon to China stopped after the award protocol in May was an important step in
exports. In May 2017, Norwegian Minister of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011 to the right direction. The normalization of this
of Fisheries, Per Sandberg signed a salmon Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo. Free trade relationship and a new free trade agreement
protocol with the Chinese veterinary talks between the two nations were also with China will make China a very important
authorities that laid the groundwork for lifting subsequently suspended. market for Norwegian seafood.”
the current salmon export restrictions.
The two countries have since resumed Growing middle class
The Norwegian counties of Troms, Nordland free trade talks and are working towards The export problems have not affected
and Sør-Trøndelag have been prevented reducing the current tariff from 10% to zero. Norway’s other seafood sales to China.
from exporting salmon to China since 2015 Norway’s main salmon competitor Chile As of September 2017, Norway had
because of reported cases of infectious has zero tariff agreements with China. No exported 145 000 tons of seafood
salmon anaemia. In addition, the Chinese other major competitor has a Free Trade products other than salmon, mostly cod
authorities in 2011 started requesting a Agreement with China. Under the latest and mackerel, compared to just 1000
higher number of testing on all Norwegian development, the Chinese authorities tons of salmon. By 2025, the amount of
salmon, leading to a reduction of trade. are set to visit Norway this year (2018) salmon exports is expected to outpace
for an inspection of the three suspended the value and tonnage of other Norwegian
As a result, the market share of Norwegian Norwegian provinces. seafood exports to China, provided
fresh chilled salmon dropped from 94% of a number of factors fall into place.
all Chinese salmon consumption to 30% “China is currently a very important
in 2013 and continued to fall to 2900 tons market for frozen cod and mackerel,” The most important of these factors will
in 2016, according to Sigmund Bjørgo, says Sandberg in his speech at the be the follow-up of the salmon protocol.
Seafood Council of Norway´s special envoy daily newspaper Dagens Næringsliv’s Another factor will be stable salmon prices,
to China.

“When we get full normalization and the
exact same trade opportunities as other
countries, we will have 65% of China’s
(salmon) consumption, which is 52,000 tons
based on 2016 fi gures,” says Bjørgo in an
interview.

Market normalization
The signing of the salmon protocol of 2017
marks a major step towards re-opening

Norway’s Fisheries Minister Per Sandberg and
Chinese veterinary authorities signed the salmon
protocol in May 2017 regarding the future export
of salmon from Norway to China.
© Norway Ministry of Industry and Fisheries

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