Russia's Government approved 62 billion RUB spend on fishery industry development
After consultations with the industry the Russian Government has approved the earlier announced draft program for fishery development in 2009-2013, www.fishnet-russia.com (www.fishnet.ru) reports with reference to Interfax.
Russia's PM Vladimir Putin has ordered the nation's Ministry of Economic Development to include the fishery development program into federal target programs to be backed by the state budget in 2009. The draft federal program will cost the budget 62 billion RUB.
According to the draft project now approved by the Government, the target program will cover its cost by the year 2014. The tax disbursements associated with the program will reach 11.45 billion RUB per year and the Government thinks that by the year 2014 additional tax inflow will exceed 16 billion RUB.
The program is aimed to encourage culture of valuable fish species and release of juveniles of commercial species into rivers and lakes for stock reproduction purposes. Towards that end, the program is to help build and renew 58 hatcheries and nurseries. Besides, under the program 27 provinces of Russia will be engaged in breeding juveniles.
Along with the above, the target program provides for construction and refurbishment of fish terminals and ports. At present, fish terminals of marine ports handle 1.3 million tonnes of fish products per year. According to the program, in 2013 the turnover will reach 3.5 million thanks to refurbishment of fish terminals of Vladivostok, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Khasansk, Nevelsk, Kholmsk, Kaliningrad, Pionersk, Murmansk, Saint Petersburg and Novorossisk.
In its turn, refit of processing plant will enable the industry to boost seafood production (frozen, smoked, salted, and canned) by 14.4% to 3.4 million tons.
In case of the program's success seafood consumption in Russia shall grow to 16 kilos per capita by 2013 and further to 20 kilos by 2016.
Head of Russia's Federal Fisheries Agency Andrey Krainy calls the target program for fishery development "a revolutionary document". It will be for first time since the Soviet era when the fishery development program will be implemented on the federal level. The measures stipulated by the program are supposed to push the market share of domestically produced seafood to 80% by 2013 versus the current 62.5%.