Russian output of processed and canned seafood products displaying good growth

According to Russian Statistics Agency,(Rossstat) in 2007 the national output of processed and canned seafood products reached 3576 thousand tonnes. In comparison with the year 2006 the production volume increased by 8.7%, the head of analytical division of Moscow-based Norge Fish Timur Mitupov told http://www.fishnet-russia.com/ (https://www.fishnet.ru/).

The growth of production was observed for the following categories:

• special-cut fish (excluding herring) - by 57.2%;
• salted fish (excluding herring) - by 14%;
• balyk (salted and dried backs of large valuable species) products - by 12.8%,
• spice-salted fish and marinated fish products (excluding herring) - by 10.2%
• live fish (excluding herring) - by 17.2%.

But during the same year the production of fish fillets (excluding herring) has fallen by 18.4%, of caviar and roe - by 12.7%, of herring of all types of processing - by 8.3% and of shellfish and mollusks by 7.9%. The production volume of canned and preserved fish products has practically stayed at the same level as in 2006, more specifically the decrease of production of these categories has amounted to 0.3%.

According to Mitupov, the average annual growth of seafood production volume in 2004 - 2007 has reached 7.5%.

In particular, the share of fillet and finfish (salted, marinated, dried and smoked) has increased twice in comparison with 2005 (from 6% to 12%).

If the dynamics will be as positive, the production in Russia by 2010 will reach 4.5 - 4.6 million tonnes.

Meanwhile, the production level in 1991 amounted to 3,675 thousands tonnes and this figure is still to be reached.