The Russian seafood industry is project to produce 5 million metric tons (MT) of seafood in 2021, with the country’s aquaculture operations producing 386,000 MT, Russian Ministry of Agriculture Head Dmitry Patrushev said in a speech at Russia's Parliament on 14 December.
In 2022, total production is predicted to increase further to 5.2 million MT of wild fish and 449,000 of farmed fish, the ministry’s press service said.
Russia’s salmon catch was one of the most-successful in history, with a catch of 538,000 MT. Pollock seasons A and B, however, saw a decline, largely due to ongoing trade issues with China leading Russian fishing firms to catch less than their alloted quota.
Overall, Russia exported 1.67 million MT of seafood for the year through October 2021, down 13 percent from the same period in 2020. However, the value of its exports rose 24 percent to USD 5.4 billion (EUR 4.78 billion), the Russian Agency for Statistics reported. The increase in value was in part due to more value-added products being exported – for example, sales of fillets increased 35 percent to 134,200 MT.
Russia exported less frozen fish, with volumes down 17 percent to 1.38 million MT through October 2021. Its chilled and fresh fish exports fell by 22.4 percent to 5,200 MT. Its shellfish exports were down 30 percent to 20,300 MT, and its ready-to-eat and canned seafood exports were down by 8 percent to 23,700 MT.
Exports of pollock during the first 10 months of 2021 decreased 17 percent to 468,00 MT, with 70 percent of this volume going to South Korea. Russia's salmon exports also decreased by 25 percent to 45,400 MT, with 44 percent of this volume also bound for South Korea.
Profits of fishing and aquaculture companies increased by 40 percent to RUB 113.8 billion (USD 1.53 billion, EUR 1.36 billion) through October 2021, the Statistics Agency said. The sector's total revenue rose by 12.5 percent to RUB 630.8 billion (USD 8.5 billion, EUR 7.52 billion). The boost in profits was aided by higher prices found for Russian crab. Russia exported 32,100 MT of crab in the first half of 2021, or 70 percent of the catch.
Business journal RBC reported that in October 2021, the average per-kilogram price for Russian crab increased to USD 58.00 (EUR 51.33) from USD 31.00 (EUR 27.43) in September. That increase defies the typical seasonal pattern; in October 2020, the price was USD 32.00 (EUR 28.32), and in October 2019, USD 26.00 (EUR 23.00).
Ilya Bereznyuk, the managing partner of Agro and Food Communications, a Russia-based consultancy, told RBC that the hike was linked to higher demand from U.S. consumers, as American crabbers had a poor season.
Photo courtesy of Konstantin Baidin/Shutterstock
