Record high export of salmon in the last week of August.
These are export volumes normally associated with the pre-Christmas trade. 34,179 tonnes of salmon, converted to round weight, were sent out of Norway last week.
It is the fourth week in a row with an increase in salmon exports. The increase from week 33 to 34 was a generous 7.5 per cent, according to export statistics from the Norwegian Seafood Council.
Discount
By far the largest buyer of fresh salmon last week was the processing powerhouse Poland, which purchased 5,495 tonnes. That was more than double the number two on the list, airfreight specialist the Netherlands, with 2,406 tonnes.
While the average export price (delivered at the Norwegian border) was NOK 65.01 (€6.5) last week, the Poles traded salmon at an average price of NOK 60.15 (€6).
Expensive electricity
As SalmonBusiness has reported frequently recently, a shortage of cardboard packaging and high electricity prices contribute to reduced freezing capacity and increased pressure on the fresh market .
In recent years, September has been one of the busiest export months of the year, primarily since Polish processing companies have used the seasonal price floor to fill up their freezer stocks, in order to later process and sell smoked salmon in the Christmas trade.
With record high electricity prices, it is uncertain how much of the salmon will be frozen this autumn.
Norway exported a rather moderate 1,348 tonnes of frozen salmon fillets last week.
