OSLO: Norway’s seafood exports rose by 14 percent year-on-year in March to 7.4 billion crowns ($888.94 million) and increased by 22 percent in the first quarter as a weak currency, global demand and supply constraints drove up prices, the country’s Seafood Council said on Tuesday.
Sales of salmon, Norway’s top seafood export, rose 18 percent in March from last year despite a 13-percent decline in volumes.
Many Norwegian salmon farmers face regulatory hurdles to increasing their output to prevent the outbreak of diseases and the spread of parasites. As a result the price of the fish has risen by more than 40 percent.
Norway is the world’s top salmon exporter, with leading producers including Marine Harvest, Salmar, Leroy Seafood, Grieg Seafood and Norway Royal Salmon.