Norway Seafood Export To Nigeria Now $35m
The Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC) yesterday said the value of the seafood export to Nigeria between January and October this year has reached $35million, adding that the country’s seafood export is the second largest in the world.
Speaking at the press briefing at the Eko Hotels and Suites yesterday, NSC Director, Trond Kosvelt said Nigeria is its biggest export market in Africa with about 21,500 tons of seafood export.
He however lamented that in spite of this huge volume of seafood imports, the country lacks hygienic ways of preserving seafood.
He frowned at the use of substances such as Sniper to store foodstuffs such as beans, yam, vegetables as well as livestocks and stockfish fish which is very dangerous to human health.
Worried by this development, he said NSC is holding a forum today to educate people about the business of exporting and importing of seafoods in Lagos.
He said: “Norwegian seafood represents all the export of seafood in Norway and it’s the second largest in the world. We saw a need to have a seminar this year, a two-day workshop that would be useful to learn about exporters, importers and seafood. The seminar will include presentations on stockfish, stockfish heads, salmon and pelagic species that we export. Most importantly, it focuses on the safe method of preserving seafood.
We learnt that there are people who use Sniper to prevent insects and other unwanted pests from perching on their products but this ends up destroying the consumers which is why it’s very dangerous and needs to be curbed. So during the workshop, preservative methods will be explained. A Norway expert on food safety would speak on what to do about storage to make your stockfish last for as long as you want.
“One of the reasons for this workshop is to show non-Norwegians how we prepare our stockfish and the difference is that we water ours for a week to bring back it’s freshness before using. We want you to see the specialty in the Norwegian system and what the chef would prepare would be an inspiration to you.”
Also speaking on the occasion, a fishery consultant, Abiodun Cheke said the seminar is an avenue for proposed importers, exporters and importers to meet, discuss and gain insight into Norwegian seafood exports and the challenges facing the importer.
“The seminar is going to be open to exchange opinions. We exported over 3million stockfish and we sold everything. Representatives of the National Agency for Foods and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) and from the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON).
” As part of the knowledge expansion on Norwegian products, we have invited chefs at some key hotels and restaurants in Nigeria and a separate chef seminar where Shef Rolf Kanstad will focus on the preparation of stockfish fish, mackerel and salmon.
The course concludes with a seafood dinner November six where dishes of Norwegian seafood will be served and invited importers, officials, Norwegian exporters, chefs from the seminar will be present,” she said.
