Intermediaries in Norwegian salmon exports

Abstract

Production of a number of important aquaculture species is highly export oriented, and intermediaries play an important role in the supply chains facilitating the trade. This paper examines the role of intermediaries (e.g. trading companies) in Norwegian salmon exports. Using customs data for the period 2016–2019, we identify two groups of firms in Norwegian salmon exports according to their main economic activity: producers that also export their salmon and independent intermediaries. We show that although both groups of firms have established a global trade network, several interesting differences exists between the two groups. A relatively small number of producers take a significantly higher share of overall exports than a large number of intermediaries, as there is a large number of smaller companies in the second group. On average, producers supply more distant markets with larger volumes than intermediaries. Market concentration measures indicate that a high share of the exports is concentrated among the top exporters in both groups of firms. Interestingly, intermediaries are in many markets able to charge a price premium for several salmon products relatively to the producers.