The Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC), the representative of the Norwegian seafood industry, has relocated its regional office to Bangkok to capitalise on Thailand's fast growing seafood market.
Thailand is the quickest growing seafood market in Southeast Asia with an export volume of 29,000 tonnes worth 4.5 billion baht.
With the new office, the NSC plans to develop stronger ties between the Norwegian and Thai seafood industries.
"I'm very proud to represent the council in this region, and I'm especially happy to be stationed here in Bangkok," said Asbjorn Warvik Rortveit, Southeast Asia regional director of the NSC.
"The Norwegian seafood industry highlights food safety, animal welfare, sustainable production, and minimal use of antibiotics, things we know Thai consumers pay attention to. I look forward to teaching Thai consumers about the benefits of seafood from Norway".
Thailand already imports large volumes of fresh seafood from Norway, especially salmon, and Norway has dominated the fresh export market with a market share of 98% since 2018.
The volume of fresh Norwegian salmon exported to Thailand exceeded 10,000 tonnes for the first time in 2018. By the third quarter of 2019, salmon and trout exports exceeded 11,000 tonnes.
It takes less than 48 hours for fresh salmon to be delivered from Norway to retailers in Bangkok.
"In Thailand, there is good potential for growth for the Norwegian seafood industry," Mr Rortveit said. "The council is committed to providing the world's best quality seafood to Southeast Asia."