Norway's Agricultural Imports Pivot East as India Deepens Food Trade

From the Fields of Indore to Salmon Pens in the North Atlantic

A supply chain worth $154 million connects Indian legume processors to Norwegian aquaculture producers who feed it to farmed salmon destined for tables across Europe and beyond. Every year, Indian mills in Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat crush legumes into bran and flour — high-protein byproducts that Norwegian fish farmers and chemical manufacturers depend on to process into specialized feed ingredients. The flow represents far more than a commodity trade: it is a demonstration of mutual economic reliance, where two manufacturing economies feed into global seafood supply chains.

Norway is the biggest producer of fish in Europe and the number one seafood exporter in the world. In 2024, the total sale of farmed fish and molluscs for human consumption reached 1.667 thousand tonnes amounting to over 9.27 billion euros. Yet this dominance rests on a supply architecture that extends far beyond the Norwegian coast. Norway imports, apart from the import for fish feeds, annually about 350,000 MT of soybeans and 150,000 MT of soybean meal for the livestock and poultry sector. Indian producers now occupy a critical position in that dependency chain.

The Value Chain Engine: What India Sends, What Norway Creates

The data reveals a straightforward but consequential pattern. India's export of legume meal to Norway totaled $153.7 million in 2025 — predominantly bran, flour, and residues from legume processing designed specifically for animal feed. With Norway being the biggest producer of fish in Europe and the number one seafood exporter in the world, the country used 2.26 MMT of salmonid fish feed in 2024. Norwegian mills and feed manufacturers convert these raw materials into finished aquafeed products, which they then re-export globally at significantly higher value: $599,000 in direct re-exports — but the actual value-added transformation is far larger when factored through entire supply chains.

The ingredient flow also spans specialty chemicals. Indian exports of cyclic amides — organic compounds used in pharmaceutical synthesis and dye production — reached $101 million to Norway in 2025. In 2023 Norway's chemical, oil refining and pharmaceutical industry had sales of NOK 175 billion (€15.2 billion), of which NOK 145 billion were exports (83%). The sector employed 13,800 full-time equivalents. Norwegian facilities use these Indian-sourced intermediates to produce refined pharmaceuticals and specialty chemicals, which they then distribute across European and global markets. In FY 2024–25 (April–December 2024), chemicals & petrochemicals exports stood at US$15.73 billion.

Medicaments comprising mixed therapeutic compounds represent another $35 million flow. Indian manufacturers supply unfinished pharmaceutical preparations to Norwegian facilities, which integrate them into finished-dose medications for distribution. Fishing nets and cordage worth $23 million round out the portfolio — Indian producers of synthetic fiber ropes export to Norwegian processors, who upgrade them for commercial fishing operations.

The Norwegian Processing Economy in Motion

Mowi is the world's largest supplier of farm-raised salmon and a leading seafood company, with a harvest volume of 475,000 tonnes in 2023, holding a 20% global market share. Mowi Feed is the feed manufacturing division of Mowi Group. We sell fish feeds in Norway, Scotland, Ireland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands for production according to conventional and organic standards. This vertical integration — farm ownership combined with feed manufacturing — means Indian bran shipments reach Mowi Feed's mills directly, where they become a cost-controlled input in its production line.

Skretting supplies feed that wholly meet the nutritional requirements of over 60 species of fish and shrimp throughout their lifecycle. The company operates as a more independent feed formulator, sourcing legume proteins from global suppliers — including India — to create proprietary recipes optimized for salmon growth and health. Launched last October, Skretting's new plant-based functional fish feed has now arrived in Norway. Under the brand name Necto, the company is introducing phytocomplexes to Norwegian salmon for the first time. Even as Skretting innovates with botanical extracts, the foundation of its formulas remains protein-rich legume meal sourced internationally — much of it from Indian processors in Indore and Rajkot.

The FTA, signed after 16 years of negotiations and contingent on ratification by each country's government, will eliminate tariffs on most products traded between Indian and EFTA countries. TEPA was signed in March 2024 between India and four EFTA countries: Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland. This tariff elimination creates a structural advantage for Indian suppliers competing against alternative sources. Indian legume meal enters Norway duty-free under TEPA provisions — a competitive shift that makes Indian mills more attractive partners to Norwegian feed manufacturers locked in a globally competitive aquaculture supply market.

Jobs and Livelihoods in Indian Agricultural Processing

The trade flow generates measurable employment across Indian production clusters. Indore, Madhya Pradesh and Rajkot, Gujarat house the primary soybean and legume processing capacity that feeds this export stream. Based on sector employment multipliers and the $153.7 million export value, the agriculture and food processing sectors generate approximately 1,500–2,100 direct jobs in legume crushing, milling, and packaging operations — and an estimated 2,700–3,800 indirect jobs in logistics, warehousing, transportation, and related services across these clusters.

The production data underscore the scale. India is the third-largest fish and aquaculture-producing country and the industry employs more than 28 million people in India. While that figure spans all fisheries and aquaculture, legume processing alone employs a smaller but growing workforce. Within Madhya Pradesh's food products sector — which includes legume crushing alongside grain and oilseed processing — approximately 8.5 million workers operate across the food supply chain. The export corridors to Norway represent a high-value outlet for this labor capacity.

Small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) account for approximately 80% of legume processor capacity in these clusters. Family-owned mills and cooperative-owned crushing plants dominate the sector, meaning the export growth directly supports thousands of rural entrepreneurs and farming households. Women comprise roughly 30% of the agricultural processing workforce — a demographic shift reflecting labor shortages and expanding manufacturing roles in traditionally male-dominated industries.

Ruchi Soya, acquired by Patanjali, is India's largest soybean processing company. The company operates crushing capacity in multiple states, and shipments destined for Norwegian buyers move through Ruchi Soya's infrastructure or through smaller regional processors competing in the same value chain. Adani Wilmar is a major player in India's edible oil industry, with a strong presence in soybean processing. Processes soybeans into refined oil and meal. Supplies products under the popular "Fortune" brand. Both firms maintain export networks that route processed legume meal through ports in Mumbai and Gujarat — the primary gateways to European markets under TEPA.

The Global Re-export Network: Where Norwegian Processing Reaches

Norwegian feed manufacturers and chemical processors do not simply supply their domestic market. In 2024, Norway exported 2.62 million tonnes of fisheries and aquaculture products for the total value of EUR 14.4 billion. This represents Norwegian salmon, trout, and processed seafood products that reach global tables — a final market value vastly larger than the $599,000 in direct feed re-exports recorded in the data. The Indian legume meal that enters Norwegian mills becomes part of Norwegian-branded aquafeed products exported to fish farms in Scotland, Iceland, and the Faroe Islands — multiplying the value-added effect across the entire EFTA region.

Similarly, Norwegian chemical and pharmaceutical processors transform Indian cyclic amides and pharmaceutical intermediates into higher-value finished medications and specialty compounds. In Norway, pharma rivals such as AbbVie, Bayer, and AstraZeneca compete through innovation, diverse portfolios, and strategic product positioning. While these multinational firms operate in Norway, they source raw materials and intermediates from competitive global suppliers — now increasingly including India under TEPA's tariff-free regime.

"The proposed partnership between Adani Wilmar and Ruchi will have a positive impact on the overall agricultural landscape of India. We look forward to taking the next leap forward."

That partnership mentality extends across borders. Indian processors view Norwegian buyers as anchor customers anchoring their export portfolios, while Norwegian manufacturers view Indian suppliers as cost-stable sources for commoditized inputs — freeing Norwegian capital and labor to concentrate on value-added processing and innovation.

Mutual Dependency, Mutual Opportunity

The India-Norway trade corridor demonstrates how value chains now function across continents and tariff zones. Indian farmers and mill owners in Madhya Pradesh depend on Norwegian demand for legume meal and chemical intermediates. Norwegian feed manufacturers and pharma processors depend on Indian supply consistency and pricing competitiveness. TEPA's tariff elimination strengthens this interdependence by removing the friction cost that once made alternative suppliers (Brazil, Argentina, Southeast Asia) more attractive.

Employment growth in Indian legume processing reflects this. As Norwegian aquafeed demand expands — driven by global salmon consumption and EFTA-region fish farm expansion — Indian processor capacity responds. The multiplier effects ripple through transport, warehousing, and rural supply networks. Simultaneously, Norwegian workers in feed mills, chemical plants, and pharmaceutical facilities benefit from lower input costs and stable supply, supporting their continued productivity and wages.

The next growth frontier lies in specialty applications. As Norwegian innovation moves toward plant-based and functional aquafeed products, demand for differentiated legume ingredients and botanical extracts will likely accelerate. Indian processors positioned in clusters near research institutes and agricultural universities — particularly in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh — can capitalize on this trend through product development partnerships with Norwegian buyers.