Belarus launching program on import substitution of trout and sturgeon

Seven trout and one sturgeon production facilities will be built in Mogilev, Belarus, according to a regional program on production of valuable fish species in 2011-2015. Under the same program, regional authorities will support construction of plants for fish processing and production of special combined feeds, reports http://www.megafishnet.com/.

That will become a pilot project for Belarus and it will be carried out under the state program on import substitution. At present Belarus consumes mostly imported seafood. In particular, last year import of trout to Belarus amounted to ca.6,000 MT. Own production in 2009 amounted to 100 MT, and in 2010 it was absent at all due to weather conditions. For comparison, trout production in Poland amounts to 18,000 MT, in Germany - 40,000 MT, Finland - 40,000 MT and Russia - 10,000 MT.

The above mentioned regional program provides for optimum placement of facilities on fish production and processing in the region, construction of a fish hatchery for stock reproduction purposes and facilities for processing of commodity fish into popular products as well as production of special feeds for fish species which are still imported from Russia's Kaliningrad region.

By the year 2015 the program targets production of 1,500 MT of commodity seafood which will be cheaper by some 30% than imported analogues. Nowadays production of river and pond fish in the region amounts to ca.800 MT, and sales of live fish exceed 2,000 MT less the output destined for industrial processing.

The project's cost is estimated at more than RUR90 billion to be repaid within 6.3 years. At current prices such output would bring proceeds to ca.RUR14 billion per year.

The first trout mini-farm has been already launched in the River Vabich. In November 2011 the farmers hope to harvest the first tonne of commodity trout and in 2012 the farm is to reach the target capacity of 25 MT of trout. At present, construction documents are almost ready for a fish hatchery and builders have started to erect trout farms with the target capacity of 300 MT each.