Nutreco invested in Norwegian land-based fish farming company, Proximar. Strategically located near the iconic Mount Fuji, Proximar’s Atlantic salmon farming facility will be a large-scale land-based fish farm helping to meet the large demand for salmon in Japan, using Recirculating Aquaculture System (RAS) technology.
Nutreco CEO Rob Koremans said that “our investment in Proximar is perfectly aligned with our mission of Feeding the Future. Japan has a large market and demand for Atlantic salmon in addition to limited possibilities for sea-based production, placing a large dependency on imports from other countries and increasing the environmental cost.”
Local land-based salmon production allows high-quality fresh salmon to be produced closer to the consumer all the while reducing the CO2 footprint from airfreight, thereby reducing the entry cost to the market and securing fresher salmon for the consumer.
Nutreco’s chief innovation officer, Viggo Halseth, said that “we are delighted to partner with Proximar, we find the team strong and capable in delivering on land-based fish farming and like Nutreco, sustainability is a focus cornerstone for Proximar. Nutreco’s aquaculture division, Skretting, will work with Proximar bringing our knowledge in feeding and salmon production, while also building our own competence and customized fish feed to support all customers that produce RAS.”
“Since establishing Proximar in 2015, we have emphasized building a platform with an industrial footing. We believe this is crucial for success, and we’re therefore very excited to have Nutreco joining. This partnership contributes to further strengthen our platform according to our strategy. Nutreco represents valuable expertise and insights when it comes to operations, which is highly beneficial for Proximar. With Nutreco onboard, we now look forward to taking Proximar to the next stage,” said Joachim Nielsen, CEO of Proximar.
On February 3, Proximar began its first day on trading on Euronext Growth Oslo, the Oslo Stock Exchange’s marketplace for high-growth SMEs. The land-based Atlantic salmon farming facility is due to begin construction in Q1-2021 and is expected to be completed in the first half of 2023, with its first harvest during the first half of 2024.
