At a meeting outlining the programme, Vice-Premier of Russia - Arkady Dvorkovich, said that Russia wanted to increase domestic production of fish products and export fewer raw materials abroad.
The new programme will abolish the VAT refund exporters recieve when exporting fish, as well as eliminate privileges on payment of the fee for the use of aquatic resources for companies that export raw materials abroad.
Another major innovation is to create fish stock exchanges, which will allow the state to control the price of fishery products and to fight the export-commodity nature of the fishing industry in Russia.
"In the current situation Russia is importing fish products of high added value, and exports from Russia only fresh or chilled fish, that is actually raw, losing significant amounts of value," said the Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Natural Resources, Environment and Ecology, Vladimir Kashin.
There are also plans to support the coastal regions of the Russian Federation for the development of fisheries. The first such programme was adopted in the Sakhalin region and provides assistance to fishermen of $10.4 billion for the year. Similar programmes will soon be adopted in all the coastal regions of the country.
Russia to Revamp Fish Industry - Reduce Exports
RUSSIA - The Russian government plans to approve a new programme, The Concept of Fisheries 2012, which will significantly change the country's fishing and aquaculture sectors, by reducing state control and increasing funds available to fish farms to produce higher value products.
