Since 2010, salmon exports to Far East have grown by 1,172%
Scottish salmon exports to the Far East have hit “record levels” for the third consecutive year according to new data from HM Revenue and Customs.
In the first 10 months of 2012 a total of 8,675 tonnes of salmon was exported to the emerging Far East markets, exceeding the 2011 total.
The value of the exports - fresh, frozen and smoked products – rose from £28 million between January and October 2011 to more than £37 million for the same period in 2012.
The Scottish Salmon Producers' Organisation (SSPO) said exports to the Far East have grown by 1,172 per cent in the three years since 2010, from 682 tonnes in 2010 to 8,675 tonnes in the first ten months of 2012.
The Far East markets include China, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Philippines and Hong Kong.
Scott Landsburgh, chief executive of the SSPO, said: “The total exports to the region in the first ten months of last year exceeded the total for the whole of the previous year.
“Sales have increased more than twelve-fold in three years and our market share still only represents less than one per cent of the total current opportunity in the Far East.
“In the vast region even niches of niches are huge, so the rewards for finding the right opportunities can be phenomenal.
“With a rapid growth of middle classes looking for premium and healthy products, there remains plenty of scope for further market share expansion in this rapidly growing market.”
Last month, a Scottish food and drink trade mission to Japan and China saw an agreement reached with the World Association of Chefs Societies to promote Scottish salmon and langoustines to its 10 million member chefs across 93 countries.
Anne MacColl, chief executive of Scottish Development International, said: “Our food and drink exports are at an all-time high and these latest figures show that Scotland's world class premium quality food and drinks are increasingly in demand across the globe.
"Scottish salmon is internationally regarded as being amongst the highest quality in the world, and is rapidly becoming the product of choice in the Far East. Growth opportunities in these fast growing markets are significant.
“We want to encourage companies to take advantage of this, and in doing so, deliver long-term sustainable growth for Scotland’s economy.”