The first producer of aquaculture shrimp in the Russian Federation, the Russian Shrimp company, has stopped production in the Kaluga region due to COVID-19. This is reported on the website of the shrimp farm.
In a press release, the company is forced to halt shrimp sales due to the pandemic, disruption to the production cycle and the closure of flights.
As the executive director of the company Evgeny Khozikov told the corporate publication of the Rosselkhoznadzor “Veterinary Medicine and Life”, “the workshops have already been dismantled.”
As Khozikov explained, due to the closure of borders and other problems caused by the pandemic, the enterprise is not yet able to import planting material – shrimp larvae. Previously, they were supplied from Brazil, Indonesia, the United States, and already in the Kaluga region were grown to marketable size.
“It is not yet known when the situation with the opening of borders will clear up, so they took a break. But we will not restore production here, we will move it to Crimea, ”said the executive director.
In Crimea, the company is developing a project for growing mussels and oysters. Russian Shrimp plans to grow its own king prawn planting material in the region.
The company grew 20-30 tons of products per year and supplied them mainly to restaurants. As the management announced, upon reaching full design capacity, the production volume was supposed to reach 200 tons of shrimp per year.
At present, the Russian “shrimp” market consists of imported products. Part of the Russian catch of wild shrimp is exported. The volume of domestic production of this type of seafood has been growing every year since the introduction of the pro-embargo by Russia in 2014.
Russian shrimp is caught in the Far East, in the Barents, as well as in the Black Seas. There are several types of fishery: comb, northern, angle-tailed, Black Sea, spiny shrimp-bear and others.
The embargo on the import of products from the European Union, USA, Canada, Australia and other countries was introduced by Russia in August 2014. Several types of meat, fish, seafood, cheeses, fruits, vegetables and a number of other food products were included in the list of goods prohibited for import.
In July, it was reported about the arrest of a poacher who caught 12.5 tons of shrimp in the Sea of Azov. Fishing for shrimp in the Sea of Azov and the Kerch Strait was prohibited from 1 to 31 July. In the Black Sea, the ban is valid until August 31.