Russia: The next big seafood market for Turkey?
(IntraFish) Russia is becoming a huge market for Turkey's fishing industry, said Turkey’s Seafood Promotion Committee, in a news report by Today's Zaman. Russia's fish imports from Turkey were $920,000 (€697,075) in 2008 and increased to $21 million (€15.9 million) in 2011, the committee's president, Melih Islie, said.
He said Russians are now more aware of Turkish seafood products. “Russians prefer gilt head bream the most. Sea bass and trout are the second and third most-preferred fish,” he said.
Islie said Turkey sold $8.8 million (€6.7 million) worth of gilt head bream and $8.3 million (€6.3 million) worth of sea bass in 2011, as well as $3.5 million (€2.7 million) worth of trout to Russia.
As Russia is becoming more prosperous with revenues from petroleum and energy exports, Russian society is interested buying a larger variety of goods, he said.
“With the growing demand, we plan to increase fish exports to $50 million (€37.9 million) by the end of 2012,” he said.