By the end of 2023, the import of fish products to Russia may grow by more than 60% compared to last year, up to 550 thousand tons. This was stated to journalists by the head of the Fish Union, Alexander Panin.
"In 2023, we see a clear recovery in import volumes. That is, we had a sharp drawdown in 2022, when imports fell by almost 2 times in compare to 2021 — from 600 thousand tons to 340 thousand tons in 2022. This year we see a clear recovery, apparently, we will reach the level of 550 thousand tons. We will not reach the target of 2021, but we will increase significantly by 2022, which, of course, in our opinion, is a positive factor," Panin said.
He noted that imports are extremely important to ensure the Russian consumer. "Imports are important from the point of view of expanding the range and supply of fish products for the Russian consumer," Panin explained.
According to the Fish Union, the share of the Faroe Islands in imports compared to last year increased to 15% in weight (from 10%) and to 6% in value (from 4%), China's share decreased to 9% in weight (from 10%) and to 10% in value (from 11%), the share of Chile increased to 11% in weight (from 9%) and 17% in value (from 12%), the share of Turkey increased to 10% in weight (from 9%) and to 13% in value (from 12%), the share of Vietnam decreased to 5% in weight (from 8%) and up to 5% in value (from 7%).
"If we talk about measures to increase the economic accessibility of fish products in the context of foreign trade regulation, we consider it necessary to discuss the issue of waiving import customs duties on fish raw materials for the production of the most demanded food products by the population. For example, Atlantic herring, mackerel and capelin. Reducing or zeroing import duties on raw materials would reduce prices for mass—demand products," Panin said.
According to Rosrybolovstvo, the import of fish products in January — November 2023 amounted to about 547 thousand tons, which is 10% more than the level of 2022. In value terms, this amounts to $2.4 billion, which is at the level of 2022.