But exports to Russia fell.
Despite the fact that the sanctions prohibit “directly or indirectly buying, importing or transferring goods that generate significant income for Russia”, the value of feed ingredients was NOK 309 million (€30.5 million) in June, Aftenposten wrote.
This is almost twice as much as at the same time last year, according to figures from Statistics Norway (SSB). In total, Norway bought goods from Russia for close to NOK 1 billion (€98.7 million) in June.
“The June figures show that imports from Russia have fallen. Fish feed and raw materials for fish feed make up a significant part of the import value in June,” section leader Therese Vestre in Statistics Norway told the newspaper.
The goods that went the other way, from Norway to Russia, amounted to NOK 633 million (€62.5 million) in the second quarter. This is a decrease of 37 per cent from the same period last year.
The export of goods in the “foodstuffs and live animals” category, such as salmon smolt, was roughly unchanged from the same period last year.
“The government prioritizes Norwegian economic interests, and that we should make as much money as possible, rather than being as tough in the sanctions against Russia as the EU and most major European countries are,” the Liberal Party’s business policy spokesperson Alfred Bjørlo said.
