Norway targets China again

THE Norwegian Seafood Council is targeting South East Asia over the next few weeks in a move to increase fish sales, and farmed salmon in particular.

Following the normalisation of relations between Norway and China, the Seafood Council is inviting fishermen and fish farming companies to a series of meetings in selected cities in Norway in the first half of February.

China is one of Norway’s fastest growing markets for salmon and white fish.

Asbjørn Warvik Rørtveit, director of market access and market insight, said: ‘There is a lot of interest in what is happening in China so the Seafood Council has invited the industry to a dialogue this month.’

He said he hoped for a solid turnout at the various meetings, adding that salmon has famously been Norway’s main product in China. But the meetings will be open to all stakeholders with an interest in China.

‘We’d like to see as many people as possible. Market access is of course a topic concerning everyone, but it is also important for us to get feedback on our work and the marketing priorities we should adopt in future.’

The meetings are planned for Tromsø, Trondheim, Bergen and Alesund.

The council is also planning a seafood dinner in Singapore on March 3. This is expected to be the largest seafood dinner of its kind in Asia, with around 1,000 guests and more than 100 different dishes based exclusively on Norwegian seafood.

Dishes will be prepared by some of the best chefs that Singapore and Norway can offer.