Russian companies involved in fish extraction have asked to be allowed to supply their products to Indonesia.

According to the Pollock Fishermen's Association, trade links have been disrupted by the pandemic, as a result of which domestic seafood suppliers have lost their markets in China and South Korea. According to the Association, Indonesia could be a good alternative buyer, but our country's authorities have not been able to agree on documents that would allow fish trade with this Asian country since 2017.

In 2019, imports of fish and fish products in Indonesia amounted to almost 120 thousand tons. Companies that supplied their goods there earned $300 million, the Association claims. Russia, according to their data, could count on a quarter of this share.

The main barrier for the moment is the fact that the authorities have not yet signed an intergovernmental agreement with Indonesia allowing direct trade, which is why the Association of Pollock Fishermen has applied to several line agencies - Rosselkhoznadzor, Rosrybolovstvo, and the Ministry of Industry and Trade - to speed up the conclusion of such an agreement.

Today Russian fishermen have no access to trade with several countries with high consumption of fish, for example, with Malaysia and Tunisia.

According to the Association's calculations, in case of the opening of all markets Russian enterprises would be able to gain about 6 billion rubles.

At the same time, according to Rosstat, the supply of domestic fish to foreign markets, despite the pandemic, in the first six months of 2020 increased by almost 7%, to 1.16 million tons, compared to the same period last year.

Made in Russia // Made in Russia

Author: Ksenia Gustova