From Fields to Nordic Shelves: India's $153.9M Agricultural Gateway

From processing plants in Rajkot to aquaculture farms in Bergen, a trade corridor quietly connects Indian agriculture to Norway's global seafood empire. The $154 million flow of feed ingredients transforms local grain into gourmet salmon served from Tokyo to New York, weaving together two economies in ways that most people never see.

This isn't just about shipping numbers on a customs form — it's about how raw materials from Maharashtra's grain mills become part of the Arctic Circle's most lucrative export industry. Norway's salmon exports reached NOK 122.9 billion ($10.8 billion) in 2024, making it the world's largest producer of farmed salmon with more than 95% of production exported. What few realize is that Indian inputs now feed this massive machine.

The Raw Material Pipeline

The value chain starts with companies like Avanti Feeds Limited, a leading Indian-based company specializing in producing and distributing high-quality animal feed products, shipping grain-based feed pellets and residues worth $153.9 million annually to Norway. Avanti Feeds emerged as a premier integrated fisheries company in India with over 5,000 employees and USD 500 million in revenue, representing the scale of India's aquaculture feed industry.

C P Aquaculture India Pvt. Ltd. is a leading animal feed company in India that specializes in producing high-quality aqua feed products for the aquaculture industry. These manufacturers process legume flour, bran, and other agricultural residues from farming clusters in Indore, Rajkot, and Navi Mumbai into specialized pellets that Norwegian fish farms depend on.

"With vertical integration and economies of scale as its key strengths, Japfa ensures quality and cost efficiency across its operations."

Norway's Processing Engine

Once Indian feed ingredients reach Norwegian ports, they enter an aquaculture system that consists of 215 companies (172 focused on salmon/trout), most of which are small and medium-sized enterprises. Norwegian processors like Pelagia AS, a leading producer of pelagic fish products for human consumption and an important supplier of essential ingredients in fish and animal feed, transform these inputs into high-value protein.

Norwegian aquaculture then converts these inputs into finished seafood products for global markets, predominantly fish meal and pellets that supply aquaculture operations worldwide. Norway benefits from an extensive coastline of clean seawater ideal for marine farming. In addition to Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout, Norway farms cod, halibut, and char.

This processing adds tremendous value. A significant portion of Norwegian salmon is exported as whole salmon and then processed in foreign markets and re-exported, especially within Europe. Two well-known hubs for processing and re-exports of salmon are Poland and Denmark.

Global Markets Fed by Indian Inputs

The Norwegian-processed products reach every corner of the globe. Poland, the U.S., and France were the largest markets for Norwegian salmon – but Germany saw the highest growth with export value increasing by NOK 539 million, or 12 percent. In 2025, the biggest growth markets for Norwegian salmon were China and the United States. China increased its imports by 119 percent, rising from 22,000 to 48,000 tonnes.

What makes this particularly compelling is how Indian raw materials enable Norway's competitive advantage in premium markets. India supplied $154 million worth of feed ingredients to Norway in 2025, accounting for 8.3% of Norway's $1.85 billion animal feed import market — up 14% from $135 million in 2024.

TEPA Strengthens the Chain

The Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement, which entered into force on 1st October 2025, has revolutionized this value chain. Norway offers exemption of duty of up to 13.16% from fish/shrimp feed. This will make Indian products competitive and enhance the export of fish feed and raw materials from India to Norway.

This tariff reduction comes at the perfect time. India's animal feed exports to Norway have grown steadily — from $119.4 million in 2023 to $135.1 million in 2024 and $153.9 million in 2025 — and TEPA's duty concessions are positioned to accelerate this upward trajectory further.

Employment Across Two Continents

This value chain creates substantial employment at both ends. In India, the agricultural feed sector supports thousands of workers across processing plants, logistics networks, and port operations connected to the $154 million export corridor. Feed manufacturing clusters in Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh form the backbone of this supply chain.

India's feed processing industry draws on a workforce spanning quality control, packaging, and production operations, with a significant share of suppliers being MSMEs that reflect the distributed nature of grain processing across agricultural clusters.

The Norwegian side employs 215 companies with thousands of workers in aquaculture operations that depend partially on Indian inputs. Norwegian aquaculture revenues surged by approximately 175% over the past decade, cementing its global significance.

From Madhya Pradesh's soy processing plants to Trondheim's fish farms, this value chain demonstrates how modern trade creates prosperity across continents. Indian farmers harvest grain that becomes Norwegian salmon that feeds tables in Shanghai, creating jobs and value at every step of an increasingly connected global economy.

Data source: Statistics Norway (SSB) / Table 08801