Government makes schedule for implementation of industry modernization measures

At the meeting held in Moscow in late January 2008 and dedicated to measures for development of the fishery industry the Russian Government has taken into account the report presented by the Head of Russia's State Fisheries Committee Andrey Krainy and as a result, the following concrete tasks have been formulated for various departments.

• The respective governmental bodies are to prepare detailed amendments to the Concept of Fishery Industry Development of the Russian Federation up to 2020 (the Concept was passed by the Government on the 2nd of September 2003). More specifically, the measures are to modernize and renew the capital assets of the industry, to increase competitiveness and the prospects for investments to the sector, to improve the quality of fishery research and infrastructural constraints for development of the domestic seafood market. The amendments to the general Concept are to be worked out by 3 April 2008.
• By 5 June 2008 the State Fisheries Committee has been charged with working out and submitting to the Government the detailed Draft of the Strategy of the Development of the fish industry of the Russian Federation for the period till 2020 (the draft must contain short-term, medium-term and long-term measures).
• By the 1 April 2008 the state authorities are to prepare the new procedure of the financing of fishery research and the state monitoring of the water biological resources. According to the plan, from 2009 the financing is supposed to come from the Federal Budget of the Russian Federation as opposed to the practice of financing through allocation from research capture quotas.
• The authorities in 3 months period are to work out and submit proposals as to possible correction of export and import customs duties related to both products of water and biological resources and processed products. These proposals will be intended for consideration by the Government's commission for protective measures in foreign trade and customs tariffs policies.
• By 5 February 2008 the State Fisheries Committee is to submit to the Government a draft of measures of development of seafood processing plants paying special attention to onshore processing.
• By the 1 of April 2008 the Committee and other departments are to investigate feasibility of partial subsidizing of the bank interests rates for the companies which had taken loans for development of their fishing fleets and processing plants.
• In the first quarter of 2008 the respective state authorities are to prepare and submit to the Government proposals of the measures of encouragement of building and modernization of the fishing fleets of Russian companies, including the mechanisms of leasing and partial subsidizing of the interests rates from the Federal Budget.
• By the 11th of February 2008 the draft of the concept of the Federal target program "The increase of the effectiveness of the use and development of the resource potential of the fishery industry for the years 2009 - 2013" is to be worked out and submitted.
• By the 14th of February 2008 the agreed proposals are to be submitted to the Russian Government concerning the changes in legislative acts, which aim to set unified and simplified order of the registration of Russian fishing vessels and cargos in Russian ports.
• In addition, the interested parties are to look into establishment of the Public Corporation RosRybFlot (The Russian Fishing Fleet).

At the meeting the decision has been made to set up a Government Commission for questions of development of fishery industry under the leadership of the Vice Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Sergey Naryshkin.