Farm sites ready to culture valuable species offered to investors

In the year 2006 State Freshwater Fisheries Research Institute GosNIORKh, FGNU checked nine water bodies for the purpose of constructing farm sites to breed valuable species to the market size. The total farming capacity of the water bodies is estimated at 1050 tonnes and the sites are now waiting for their investors.

Meanwhile, in the year 2006 a new farm owned by OOO SP Klimovo (ltd) was commissioned in the Boksitogorsk district. Agrofirma Shugozero agricultural artel (co-op) located in Tikhvin District has also prepared necessary papers and purchased equipment needed in order to open a fish farm.

Results of 2006

In 2006 fish farms of Leningrad Oblast sold 1009 tonnes of market-size fish which made 123% of the previous year level. The value of farmed fish amounted to RUR131,782,000. Besides, more than 1000 tonnes were left in cages for overwintering as stocking material for the year 2007, according to press-service of the province's government.

Rainbow trout is the most important farmed species for the province. Some farms also grow sturgeon, they for example include OOO Avrora (ltd) which cultures sturgeon in warm waters at the premises of LAES Leningrad Atomic Power Plant and OOO SKhP Kuznechnoye (ltd). Other farms breed carp and Coregonus whitefish (OOO Rybstandard, OOO Kala, OOO Forvat).

National project

In the meantime, eight fish farming companies based in Leningrad province have applied to participate in the ambitious national project "Development of Agricultural Complex".

The fish farmers have already prepared all the papers needed to open new sites and their participation in the national project is supposed to let them attract subsidized-rate investment loans to develop production facilities. Two thirds of the loans' interest rate are subsidized from the budget.