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

which in turn depends on whether there the Norwegian seafood products are cracking the code will be to fi nd types of
is enough global seafood production to consumed in China, rather than processed fi sh to sell to the Chinese market based on
meet the growing demand worldwide. there for export to countries in Europe and Chinese cooking methods, such as grilled,
The Chinese in particular have shown Japan. According to recent research by the steamed, fried, and soups. The Chinese
an increased appetite for salmon on the Norwegian Seafood Council, more mackerel are not used to eating fi sh the Western way,
back of its growing urbanization and larger and capelin are staying in the Chinese says Jiang Hansson, Arctic Green Seafood
middle class that is keen for more types of market. These fi sh were typically used in managing partner. Roughly three quarters
food products and high-end proteins. meals at Japanese restaurants in China. of the six million restaurants are traditional
Chinese. Cod and halibut are included in
Between 2012 and 2022, there will be fi ve There is also increased potential for many restaurants, but home cooking needs
times more upper middle class consumers Norwegian cod by-products, such as cod to be targeted differently.
with seven times more purchasing power, heads, which are used for hot pots and
according to Bjørgo, citing a McKinsey stews. A particularly expensive delicacy “Very few Chinese have an oven, but most
report. Last year, the Chinese consumed is the swim bladder attached to the cod have a pan,” explains Hansson at the
85 000 tons of salmon. This number is backbone. Believed to have positive health Dagens Næringsliv conference. “You have to
expected to treble to 240 000 tons by benefi ts, it sells for about NOK 2500 (circa think about how to get the best suitable type
2025. Norwegian exports could amount $300) per kilogram. Cod has also been used of seafood, not just frozen materials.”
for 156 000 tons of China’s total salmon more creatively in the Chinese market for
consumption. That would make it even holiday delicacies, such as cod moon cakes Norwegian seafood producer Lerøy
larger in value and tonnage than the current to celebrate the Mid Moon Festival. Seafoods recently launched four new
non-salmon seafood exports. cod products at restaurant Amy’s
Other types of fi sh that have a growing niche Choice in Qingdao during an Asian
Changing consumption market in China are Greenland Halibut, red seafood conference in November 2017.
Another trend in China is that more of fi sh and sea cucumbers. But the key to The Norwegian Seafood Council has
been working for the past four years on
specifi cally marketing cod to China. It found
there was no specifi c Chinese name for
cod and renamed it Nouwei Beiji Xueyu, the
marketing name for Norwegian Artic Cod in
China, to distinguish it from other whitefi sh.
The council foresees that Norwegian cod
exports could grow from 4,500 tons to
20,000 tons within the next few years.

Norwegian cod moon cakes to celebrate
Chinese Mid Moon festival.
© Norwegian Seafood Council

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seafood, fi shing & aquaculture