Local food: Norwegian

Consumers across the world are increasingly keen to eat local food.

Record share of Norwegian produce

There was a particularly plentiful supply of long-life vegetables, which were much in demand among consumers. Cooperation in the supply chain was good, we dealt with challenges along the way and employed creative measures to sell as much fantastic Norwegian fruit and veg as possible.

In 2022, Norwegian produce accounted for 35.9 per cent of the market, a new record!

It was an amazing season for long-life vegetables like onions, potatoes, carrots and turnips. We had products in stock throughout the spring and into the new season. These products take a lot of the credit for the high proportion of Norwegian produce sold. They were also in great demand with consumers. High costs and interest rate rises led to changes in purchasing choices, making long-life vegetables even more popular. We took a number of steps to adapt to market demand and made some specification changes along the way.

BAMA aims to support Norwegian farmers by encouraging them to increase production and develop new products, and offering good access to the market. Together, we are focusing systematically on research, the development of new varieties and marketing. We are also attempting to extend the growing season for certain products.

During the Norwegian growing season from May to October, for example, Norwegian produce has a market share of over 80 per cent. Over time, this segment has seen better development than imported products. Nor have the prices paid by BAMA to producers ever been higher than in 2022.

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Fabulous Norwegian strawberries

Every year, expectations are high for the Norwegian strawberry season. Norwegians love Norwegian strawberries, and for many people they evoke the unique atmosphere of summer. The 2022 season was another good one. There were delicious, bright red strawberries in the shops, and we delivered as agreed throughout the season without encountering major challenges.

In addition, a good market balance meant that total sales of Norwegian products were extremely high. The entire supply chain enjoyed a good season. We have never sold such a large volume of Norwegian produce as we did in 2022.

Working hard for Norwegian produce

The entire supply chain is made up of highly skilled and experienced people. They work extremely hard to enable us to sell as much Norwegian produce as possible, with excellent cooperation throughout the supply chain. Following several years of drought and then the Covid pandemic, inflation and price increases put us to the test in 2022. If there is one thing that this period has taught us, it is that we are great problem solvers. We tackle whatever crops up head-on and find good solutions, whether we are faced with a glut of certain products or have to cancel planned activities owing to a shortfall in stock. Our system stands rock solid on the twin foundations of cooperation and expertise.

New, state-of-the-art packing plant opens

Mjøsgrønt, Norway’s largest vegetable packing plant, which is owned fifty-fifty by producers in the Mjøs region and BAMA, opened at Stange on 20 September.

The brand-new packing plant accounts for 20 per cent of BAMA’s onion requirements and 40 per cent of its carrot requirements. It is a modern workplace located close to a host of growers, who will work together with the plant on product development and innovation.

The old packing plant had long been ripe for both renovation and expansion with regard to its location, internal logistics, development potential, raw materials utilisation and efficiency, for example.

The new facility has a usable area of 5,000 m², and the plan is to pack 5,000 tonnes of carrots and 9,000 tonnes of onions per year, with capacity for double that amount. The 3,000-hectare site also offers potential for further expansion.

Mjøsgrønt is a state-of-the-art packing plant that will play a key role in the vegetable sector’s development. Twenty-four high-quality producers supply the packing plant, most of them based around Lake Mjøsa, with others in Solør and the Glåmdal region. The plant will be a regional meeting place and centre of excellence, where producers can share experiences. Working together, we will develop exciting and sustainable solutions.

Eden and Fryd – in stores at last

This duo are the first Norwegian apple varieties to be launched since 1980. They are the result of a long, intensive search, with as many as 40 different varieties being taste tested.

It is thanks to able producers, a good measure of patience and excellent growing conditions in East Norway and Hardanger that the bright crimson apples are in stores for the first time. The search began in 2014, and after eight years of planting, tasting and testing, consumers can take a bite and enjoy. We are still right at the start of this apple adventure, but we hope to see increasing volumes on the market in future seasons, with full market coverage in 2027.

Flowerberry: More early Norwegian varieties

We are talking about strawberries, of course.

Every year, Grofondet provides support for a number of exciting projects that could ultimately help to increase Norway’s self-sufficiency in fruit, berries, vegetables and potatoes.

It was full steam ahead for one of those projects in 2022. The Flowerberry project aims to create a platform for early Norwegian varieties that are tailored to the climate and the market. This is being done through the study and selection of unique plant material, and, eventually, collaboration with various actors in the supply chain to ensure commercially viable varieties.

The primary goal is to learn how to better control the flowering process. These insights will be used to develop breeding material with optimum flowering characteristics for Norwegian conditions. The plan is to make Norwegian varieties and the Norwegian strawberry industry more competitive by studying physiology, genetics and the inheritance of desirable flowering characteristics in primitive and modern populations. If this is achieved, the harvesting season can be extended. The result will be a greater market share for Norwegian strawberries. We are keeping our fingers crossed that new scientific insights, state-of-the-art technology and modern cultivation methods can contribute to a longer season for delicious Norwegian strawberries. The project is being run by NJØS, Graminor and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU). It is funded by the Research Council of Norway, Grofondet and industrial partners.

Source: Grofondet.no

Annual Norwegian campaign: Lovely to see you again

In Norway, Week 26 saw the start of a campaign to welcome back in-season Norwegian produce.

The theme was ‘Lovely to see you again’. Different people telling little stories. Stories about absence, good memories and longing for something or someone. Stories most people can relate to. Some things are as they have always been. Familiar and beloved Norwegian vegetables are one of them. Delightful pictures of a beautiful summertime Norway provided the perfect backdrop for what we wanted to share: information about amazing in-season Norwegian produce.

BAMA.no overflowed with exciting inspiration and information, with the seasonal calendar being highlighted as an important tool. It tells consumers when different produce is available to buy.

Norwegian vegetables dominated the media – on television, online, outdoors and on radio. Attention was also generated at airports and on trains, with the campaign message ‘Welcome back’.

Next: Environment protection and sustainability

In 2015, the UN member states adopted a series of goals for sustainable development in the period leading up to 2030.

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