• 3 weeks ago
Aker Biomarine, a company that creates Omega 3 products from Antarctic krill, has become the world's leading supplier thanks to its massive growth in China.

The Norwegian company is one of many firms taking part in this year's China International Import Expo. Our correspondent Johannes Pleschberger reports.

#krill #norway #fishoil #china
Transcript
00:00Krill is just the size of a paperclip, but given its massive quantity,
00:04the crustacean is a vital ingredient for food supplements.
00:10Norway-based Akkabai Marina has become the world leader in krill fishing,
00:14thanks to the growing consumption of health products in China.
00:18We were talking about 1.4 billion people,
00:21and people that are getting healthier, they're living longer.
00:24Healthy aging is a main theme on the agenda for the national health of China,
00:29and China will become our number one market within a couple of years.
00:33Over the past year, Akkabai Marina increased its performance in China by 60%.
00:39So China's a really interesting and very dynamic market.
00:41So what we see there is great development in e-commerce platforms, for example,
00:47influences, and different ways of reaching the consumer,
00:50far different from where we are today in Europe and the US, for example.
00:55The global krill oil market is experiencing significant growth.
00:59And while humans benefit from a vast choice of healthy omega-3 products,
01:04scientists warn that the four-fold increase in krill fishing since 1990
01:10is harming the marine ecosystem, including krill-dependent whales,
01:14which struggle to find enough food.
01:19Krill is found in all of the world's oceans, but is particularly abundant in China.
01:24It's also found in Antarctica.
01:26Despite concerns about overfishing,
01:28there's still no international consensus on regulating Antarctic krill sourcing.
01:34Akkabai Marina says it is operating the world's most sustainable krill fishery
01:40and wants to boost its growth by reaching new customers
01:42at China's International Import Expo in Shanghai.
01:46This year is the perfect time to do that, as for the first time ever,
01:50Norway has its own national pavilion in Shanghai.
01:53The CII show is a tremendous show.
01:56It gets bigger and bigger every year.
01:58We meet and greet our customers there and also look for new ones.
02:02Most recently, Akkabai Marina sold its animal feed product line to a private equity group
02:07and is now fully focusing on krill oil supplements.
02:10Johannes Blechberger, CGTN, Oslo.

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