Nordic Aqua Partners (NAP) will start the construction of its land-based facility in Ningbo, China in January 2021 and selected Benchmark Genetics as their genetics provider signing a five-year agreement for 9.5 million ova. The first eggs will be delivered from Benchmark’s Icelandic operations in Q4 2021, as soon as the hatchery facilities are up and running in Ningbo.

Ragnar Joensen, chairman of the board of NAP, said that they are delighted about having secured their supplies of genetics ahead of the start-up of construction of the facility in Ningbo, China. “Benchmark Genetics has a proven record of their ability to supply live eggs all-year-round to destinations worldwide and security of supply is of key importance to optimize the production planning at our facility,” Joensen said.

Joensen explained that the Chinese authorities and consumers are very concerned about food safety and that Benchmark’s biosecure facilities combined with a comprehensive screening system make the company confident that the eggs from Benchmark have the best starting conditions when entering into their RAS system. “Their R&D capabilities and product offering, adapted for land-based RAS production, add to the benefits of signing a long-term agreement with this supplier,” the chairman said.

“We aim to be the leading supplier of genetics to land-based farming, anywhere in the world,” said Geir Olav Melingen, commercial director at Benchmark Genetics. “We have been supplying eggs to China since 2002 and have established a logistic system that so far has worked successfully, even during the challenging times of COVID-19.”

Nordic Aqua Partner is the first fully integrated and commercially viable RAS facility in China with an initial capacity of 8,000 tons of Atlantic salmon, with ambitions to expand first to 16,000 tons and further up to 40,000 tons as a longer-term plan.

Benchmark Genetics is prepared to meet the growth of the land-based sector, both in terms of production capacity and customer services. “We are strong believers in the opportunities of the land-based sector. As a result, we are currently strengthening our organization and continuously working on adapting our product offering to ensure that our customers are well-positioned to meet their targets,” Melingen concluded.

Photo caption: Nordic Aquapartners site in Ningbo. Photo credit: AKVA Group.