Russia ups financing for fish industry development program by 9.3 bln rubles
MOSCOW. Dec 23 (Interfax) - Funding for Russia's state program for Development of the Fisheries Industry in the period to 2020 has been increased by 9.3 billion rubles to 92.5 billion rubles by a cabinet resolution signed on December 18, materials posted on the federal government website state.
A new, eighth subprogram, for Development of the Sturgeon Industry, has been included in the program.
The government has also revised the goals of the program, the primary one being to ensure a transition from development based on raw material exports to innovative development based on maintaining, renewing and rationally using marine bioresources and introducing new technologies.
The program has also been fleshed out with measures to conduct research work in the area of establishing infrastructure and development of the fisheries sector, construction and reconstruction of fish farms, development of the research and production base for aquaculture, reconstruction of federally-owned infrastructure such as port installations at the fish terminals of marine ports, and comprehensive overhauls of research vessels.
In light of the increase in budget funding, growth rates and program indicators have been revised. The catch of marine bioresources is now expected to increase to 4.5 million tonnes by 2020 rather than 3.9 million tonnes as projected in the previous version, and production of fish and processed and canned fish products is now expected to grow to 4 million tonnes instead of 3.4 million tonnes.
The share of domestic fish products on the Russian food market is expected to be 80% in 2020, which is consistent with the country's food security doctrine. Aquaculture production is projected to more than double to 315,500 tonnes by 2020 from 150,000 tonnes in 2013.