The Norwegian Embassy in Manila together with the Norwegian Seafood Council, joined by the Department of Trade (DTI) and Industry, Bureau of Customs (BoC) and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) hosted the first ever Seafood Roundtable at the Seda Hotel in Vertis North, Quezon City.
The seafood roundtable brought together over 70 seafood importers and exporters from the Philippines, along with national government agencies, to set the stage for facilitating seafood trade in the country. It also aims to accelerate the utilization of the existing free trade agreement (FTA) between the Philippines and Norway under the EFTA-FTA.
Norwegian Seafood Council Director for Southeast Asia Åshild Nakken highlighted the vast potential of the Philippine seafood market, calling it a “hidden gem” among its ASEAN peers. In 2024, Norwegian seafood exports to Southeast Asia reached a total volume of 172,000 tons, valued at $834 million—a 112.5% increase in value from 2020 to 2024, with an average annual growth rate of 21% in the region. She also emphasized that Norway is one of the world's largest seafood exporters, known for its salmon, which is sustainably farmed under world-class standards.
Ambassador Christian Lyster shared that Philippine exports to EFTA reached €350 million in 2022 alone, while imports peaked at €433 million. Yet, the FTA has yet to fully realize its potential to maximize the benefit of this agreement. The Ambassador likewise highlighted that a significant portion of trade to the Philippines is composed on seafood exports like salmon.
“Norwegian salmon has now even found its way into traditional Filipino dishes like sinigang,” he added.
The seafood roundtable was concluded with a ceremony called ‘Yusheng’ or ‘Prosperity toss,’ which is often done to welcome the lunar year with good luck and prosperity for the year to come.
