Oyster production and demand in Russia have increased dramatically

The Russian business advice website reported on August 1 that data from the Russian Federal Fisheries Agency show that oyster production from Russian aquaculture increased sharply in 2018. In 2018, 1260 tonnes of oysters were farmed in marine farms in Primorsky Krai, a 14-fold increase over 2017. In Crimea, the southern coast and Lake Donuzlaf, oyster production reached 706 tonnes, a tripling from 2017. Production in Sevastopol was 87 tonnes, up 34% year-on-year. On farms in Krasnodar Krai, the number of oysters farmed increased by 2.8 times to 55 tonnes.

From January to June 2019, the number of oysters farmed in the Crimean Peninsula has exceeded that of the whole of 2018, reaching 802 tons. Production in Krasnodar Krai was 15 tons, slightly lower than 16 tons in the same period last year.

In addition to aquaculture, oyster catches in Russia also increased in 2018. Oyster catches in the Far East in 2018 were 270.9 tonnes, almost 1.4 times higher than in 2017.

Russia imported 332.6 tonnes of oysters in 2018, an increase of nearly 18 percent from a year ago. According to the Russian Federal Customs Service, the largest supplier is Tunisia, which exports 125 tons of fresh and refrigerated oysters to Russia. In addition, Russia imports oysters from New Zealand, Japan and South Korea.

The Russian Federal Fisheries Agency said Russia's counter-sanctions measures had boosted the market. Before 2014, Russia produced almost no oysters, and imports were mainly from EU countries. The situation has changed since August 2014, when Russia imposed a food embargo and European seafood was banned from entering the Russian market. The rapid return on investment in oyster farming has also attracted investors. At present, there are about 200 companies engaged in this business in Primorsky Krai. (Compiler: Wang Xinyu)