Norwegian cod on Chinese dinner-ware – Aftenposten

Norwegian cod on Chinese dinner-ware – Aftenposten

– I feel confident that a number of Norwegian actors will work against China in the coming months to develop new products, find customers and develop their relationship to dem.Kort and well “setting up” against China, says Sigmund Bjørgo, Seafood Council Director of mainland China and Hong Kong, told Aftenposten.

The Norwegian Seafood Council office in Shanghai recently organized one nine day study for the Norwegian cod industry. Since February this year, Seafood Council had a project to assess market opportunities for Norwegian cod for domestic consumption in China.

The response after the study tour has been very good, both from the Norwegian exporters and from potential Chinese customers in trade and restaurant, informs Bjørgo.

– We hope China can become a profitable and attractive market for Norwegian cod. But it will probably take some time before it is exported large volumes, says quality manager Odd Johan Fladmark in Norwegian trawler Havfisk ASA, who attended the study tour.

dispatched to China – and out again

Now Cod is already second only to mackerel, it fish exported most of China. In 2013 was introduced 55,000 tonnes of mackerel and 44,000 tonnes of cod. But this is fish that are eaten in China; it is processed, packaged and then re-exported to markets among other European countries and Japan.

This differs from, for example salmon from Norway, which aligns with the Chinese dining table via supermarket chains.

Last year it was delivered 8500 tonnes of salmon for domestic consumption to mainland China, and nearly twice as much, 16,500 tonnes to Hong Kong, according to Innovation Norway. It is this lucrative domestic market also cod exporters now want to gain entry to.

Popular

Havfisk ASA works closely with several Norwegian exporters and has already delivered some cod that has been exported to Chinese consumer

– A party of two tons have already been sold to a Norwegian exporter which has received very positive feedback from customers in China, so we are confident that it will be possible to sell more of this, says Odd Johan Fladmark.

In 2013, exports of 163,000 tonnes of seafood to China, with a value of 2.5 billion.

In addition, seafood 750 million to Hong Kong, that is calculated separately, since the special Chinese region has its own WTO membership.

Published: 18.des. 2014 9:47 p.m.