Norwegian freezing plant helping Murmansk Fish Combine boost production capacity

Murmansk Fish Combine (OAO Murmansky Rybopererabatyvayuschii Kombinat as transliterated from Russian) has recently launched a Norwegian facility for quick freezing with the project's value totaling 8 million Euros, reports www.fishnet-russia.com (www.fishnet.ru) with reference to news.nashbryansk.ru.

The facility is capable of producing up to 300 tonnes of fish per day. The new plant has enabled the company to extend the shelf life of its products to 12 months. The product range includes capelin, herring, saithe, which are priority species for the combine, and many other species. The combine runs facilities for fish salting and canning, production of sterilized sausages, fillets, as well as for shrimp peeling and freezing.

According to the combine's director Mikhail Zub, they sell capelin at about RUB16.00 per, and in retail network in Russia's central regions it costs ca.RUB60.00 per kilo. In order to reduce the end price of the product Mr. Zub suggests that local fish processors, wholesalers and large retailers should enter into cooperation agreements with the combine and in that case Murmansk Fish Combine is ready to decrease the release price by RUB2.00 per kilo and postpone customer's payment for two weeks. The intermediary-free cooperation scheme is to become a means to decline the end prices for fish products in the regions of Russia, Zub underlined.