Far Eastern and Northern Fish Staging a Comeback to the Stores and Tables Across the Country

17 August 2022

Far Eastern and Northern Fish Staging a Comeback to the Stores and Tables Across the Country

FEDC and the Fish Union held a roundtable discussion for fisheries professionals in preparation for EEF 2022.

The roundtable entitled 'Domestic Aquatic Bioresources on the Table of Russian Citizens' was held in Moscow. The industry discussion was dedicated to the support measures the fishery market needs. The event was attended by fish processors, restaurateurs, fish farmers, analysts, researchers as well as representatives of major retail chains. The roundtable was organized by the Far East and Arctic Development Corporation (FEDC), a state development institution, and the non-profit Fish Union.

The event was held in preparation for the expert session entitled 'Fish and Mariculture: New Horizons' to be held at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok. The Forum is operated by the Roscongress Foundation.

The participants of the round table discussed the key problems in the development of the fishing industry, which lead to a change in consumer preferences in favour of other categories of products. As a result of the discussion, regulatory measures will be proposed to develop and promote domestic fish within the country, as well as to balance the interests of the domestic market and exports.

Anatoly Bobrakov, Deputy Minister of the Russian Federation for the Development of the Far East and the Arctic, said that the fishing industry is one of the key components of the country's food security as well as an important component of healthy and wholesome diet for Russians.

“Russian government is working hard to improve and update the production facilities of the fishing industry. 22 fishing enterprises and 9 vessels have been built. In 2022, 2.26 million tonnes of fish have already been caught in the Far East, plus 355,000 tonnes in the Northern basin. These products, of course, should reach the domestic counters and tables of Russians at the most affordable prices,” said Anatoly Bobrakov.

“We have brought together representatives of the entire supply chain in the fish products segment on one platform to try and objectively assess the current situation through the eyes of professional market participants. We want to talk about what hinders the development of the domestic fish market, given the current foreign and domestic challenges and prospects. Developing effective proposals to support the fishing industry is only possible through a dialogue with experts who best understand the issues and peculiarities,” said Alexander Panin, chairman of the Fish Union.

Since 2005, the range of fish products in the Russian stores has remained virtually unchanged. According to Ivan Novikov, Deputy Director General of FEDC for Fisheries Development, some types of aquatic bioresources harvested in the Far East are fully exported to Asian countries and do not reach Russians. In general, fish products are losing their popularity, especially among young people.

“Our task is to develop measures that will allow the Russian consumer to fully enjoy the wealth of the Far Eastern seas at affordable prices, as well as to popularize seafood and bring Far Eastern and Northern fish back to café and restaurant menus across the country on a mass scale. Fish is not just healthy, it is the only organic food of animal origin with the lowest carbon footprint in production,” said Ivan Novikov.

Such meetings at the FEDC with the Fish Union and representatives of the fishing industry will not be limited to preparations for the EEF. They will become regular meetings and should lead to tangible proposals to remove existing barriers to the development of the domestic market.

For EEF 2022 updates and news, go to the official Forum social network pages

Telegram: t.me/roscongress

VKontakte: Eastern Economic Forum (vk.com)

Far Eastern and Northern Fish Staging a Comeback to the Stores and Tables Across the Country

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