February 6, 2024

Russia witnesses surge in aquaculture feed production amid import substitution efforts

Russia has reported significant progress in its quest to establish substitutes for imported aquaculture feed, witnessing a nearly 40% increase in domestic output, SeafoodSource reported.

According to the Russian Federal Fisheries Agency (Rosrybolovstvo), the production of aquaculture feed in the country surged by 39% from January to November 2023 compared to the same period in 2022, reaching 48,000 metric tonnes (MT) of feed.

Rosrybolovstvo attributes this remarkable increase, in part, to a license agreement between the All-Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO) and OJSC Melkombinat (Aquarex), a feed company established in 2009. Aquarex, working under the guidance of VNRIO scientists and specialists, produced starter and production feeds for various aquaculture facilities, conducting large-scale testing at over 60 fish farms in 2023.

Aquarex has ambitious plans to further boost aquaculture feed production by establishing a new plant in Russia's Smolensk region. The projected output of this facility is expected to exceed 100,000 MT of aquafeed annually.

Russia's push to increase domestic aquaculture feed production follows the withdrawal of most international aquaculture feed companies from the Russian market in response to the country's invasion of Ukraine. Major companies like BioMar, Raisio, and Skretting pulled out, prompting Russian aquaculture firms to adapt to Western sanctions by seeking substitutes from countries like Iran, Turkey, and Belarus.

Despite initial concerns about a potential feed shortage, Rosrybolovstvo reports robust aquaculture production in 2023, estimating the total output to surpass 400,000 MT, ahead of initial forecasts. In 2022, Russia produced 384,000 MT of aquaculture products, marking an 8% increase over 2021.

-        SeafoodSource