Record breaking export of seafood
Never before has the export of Danish fish and shellfish been as high as in the first eleven months of 2017.
Consumers abroad seem to love Danish prawns, cod, salmon, trout and fish flour. The hype is making the first eleven months of 2017 record breaking, according to a new analysis by Danish Agriculture & Food Council.
“Export growth is driven especially by Asia, where there is economic progress and a rapidly growing middle class, increasingly demanding more exclusive food with high food security”, says Frank Øland, chief economist at Danish Agriculture & Food Council.
The food cluster’s export of seafood (including by-products) reached 24.6 billion DKK (4.1 billion USD) in 2017. That is an increase of and impressive 2.7% compared with the same period in 2016.
“We export 90% of the fish we catch in Denmark”, says Niels Wichmann, Managing Director of Danish Fishermen
The consumer and Danish seafood
Especially the Germans buy large amounts of Danish fish and shellfish. In the first eleven months of 2017, Germany bought 27% of the Danish export of seafood to the EU. “It is positive that we can break new records and continue the export growth we have experienced in recent years. This is mainly due to growth in China, but also in the neighboring markets there has been progress, says Poul Meldgaard Jensen, CEO of the Danish Seafood Association.
The export of seafood accounted for 16.1% of the total export from the Danish food cluster.
“We export 90% of the fish we catch in Denmark. That is partly because we are well known for our high quality and sustainability, but also because we are centrally placed near the European markets, meaning that we can export fresh products instead of frozen products”, says Niels Wichmann, Managing Director of Danish Fishermen.
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