On 27 September 2022, H.E. Ms. Vimolbajra Ruksakiati, Ambassador of Thailand to Norway, was invited by the Norwegian Embassy in Bangkok and Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC) to attend a dinner at Sjømagasinet with Mr. Asbjørn Warvik Rørtveit, Director, South-East Asia, Norwegian Seafood Council (NSC) and Ms. Urassaya Sperbund, Thai-Norwegian actress. Ms. Cattleya Sperbund, sister of Ms. Urassaya, Ms. Thorsaeng Chuangchote, Counsultant, Fleishman Hillard, Mr. Noppatjak Attanon, Senior Editor, Workpoint Today, Ms. Orapin Yingyongpathana, Senior Editor, Thairat Online, Ms. Potchamas Saengthien, Counsellor, Royal Thai Embassy, and officers of Norwegian Seafood Council also attended the dinner.

 

Mr. Rørtveit informed that since Japanese food, especially sushi and sashimi, is popular in Thailand, demand for fresh salmon and fjord trout has been high. NSC is aiming to promote cooking of Thai food with Norwegian seafood. Therefore, NSC is organizing a visit to Norway of Ms. Urassaya for 3 days to gather information, pictures, and clips video for the promotion of Norwegian seafood and the cooking of Thai food with Norwegian seafood. While in Oslo, Ms. Urassaya had a chance to cook many Thai dishes using Norwegian seafood together with Chef Terje Ommundsen, owner of Plah and Ahaan restaurants.

 

On this occasion, Mr. Rørtveit thanked Ambassador Vimolbajra for her participation and invited her to visit salmon farm in Bergen and the headquarter of NSC in Tromsø to learn about sustainability of salmon farming in Norway. Mr. Rørtveit also viewed that the FTA Thai-EFTA (European Free Trade Association) can further enhance Norwegian seafood, especially the processed seafood, in Thai market from the decrease in tariff.

 

At present, Thailand is the biggest Norwegian seafood importer in Southeast Asia and the third in Asia after China and South Korea. During January-April 2022, Norway exported 8,385 tons of fresh salmon and fjord trout to Thailand, a 23 percent increase from the same period last year.

 

NSC is under the Ministry of Trade, Industries and Fisheries, responsible for increasing the export of Norwegian seafood globally. The headquarter of NSC is located in Tromsø with regional offices in 13 countries, located with the Norwegian embassies. In 2019, the South-East Asia office is moved from Singapore to Bangkok after Thailand has been the biggest importer of Norwegian seafood in South-East Asia. In 2018, Thailand imported 29,000 tons of Norwegian seafood, including more than 10,000 tons of salmon.