Leading Russian supplier responding to increasing sophistication on domestic seafood market
At present the Russian seafood consumption has been growing at fast rate. The levels of annual growth rates vary from 10% to 25% per year in some estimates to - 17% to 20% per annum, reports http://www.fishnet-russia.com/ (https://www.fishnet.ru/) with the reference to the interview with Director General of the Russian Fish Company Mr. Dmitry Dangauer for Fishnews.ru.
According to Mr. Dangauer, the growing consumption is explained by the improved welfare of the population and the general knowledge that fish is the most organic and healthy source of protein.
Notably, the consumption of expensive and deli fish species has been growing at a greater speed. The main reason here is the consumers' taste preferences but not price of the fish.
The fastest rate of consumption can be observed with various fillets which do not need much processing. The Russian Fish Company specialists have been capitalizing on this trend.
For example, in 2007 the company launched a series of various fillets like hake, pangasius, tilapia, Alaska pollock under its own trademark. This assortment has been actively promoted in federal and regional market chains.
In Dmitry Dangauer's opinion, the increasing oil prices will not influence the consumption rate of inexpensive fish species which are the most demanded on the market because the prices of all food products have been rising.
The Russian seafood market is far from saturation at present and in this situation the appearance on shelves of fish novelties cause the keenest interest of consumers. For example, in Japan the tuna species are very popular. According to Mr. Dangauer, tuna products have good prospects on the Russian market as well. In general, Russian consumers have been gradually switching to eating more expensive fish species.
Meanwhile, considerable part of Russian catches goes for export as a raw material to come back to the Russian market already in the form of value-added products. In this situation, the Russian Government has been preparing measures to solve this problem.
According to Mr. Dangauer, availability of own seafood raw material is Russia's strategic advantage which has not been used in a proper way and a well-organized fishery industry's structure would give the country an opportunity not only to become a leading fishery nation but also one of the leaders in fish processing as well. It means that by these means thousands of working places will be created and income from the value-added production will stay in Russia but not in China, for example.
The Russian Sea Group of Companies (and its member the Russian Fish Company) has its own fish processing plant producing the assortment of more than 80 items of seafood. In autumn 2008 the Russian Sea Company is to launch a series of novelties. The company's specialists understand the demand for ready seafood products on the Russian market and develop its production range accordingly.
Growing shortage of wild fishery resources in the world has triggered development of aquaculture. Responding to this challenge, in 2007 he Russian Sea Group of Companies bought a Segozerskoe Trout Farm (based in Karelia, North West of Russia). The trout farm has been modernized and in 2008 the first products have been supplied to market chains.