Russian seafood import trends in January-March 2007
In the first three months of the current year 2007 Russian importers purchased nearly 260,000 tonnes of seafood on the international market at a total price of more than 405 million USD, thus exceeding the corresponding results of the same period last year by 22% in volume and 51% in value.
Norway
Norway has remained Russia's leading seafood supplier on the world market. Its share in the Russian total import of finfish and other aquatic species (HSC 03, 1604, 1605) amounted to 37.03% in volume and 35.11% in value.
The main articles of the Norwegian seafood export to Russia were herring and salmon. The share of herring in the total volume of Norwegian shipments to Russia exceeded 70% and amounted to ca.70,000 tonnes, while supplies of salmons amounted to ca.15,000 tonnes making 15.5% of Norway's total seafood export to Russia. As for the value of the Norwegian shipments of herring and salmon, thanks to higher average prices at 4.6 USD per kilo of salmon versus 0.85 USD per kilo of herring, salmon supplies won the first place in value which totaled 68.9 million USD versus 58.9 million USD paid by the Russian importers for the Norwegian herring in January-March 2007.
A considerable rise of shipments from Norway was recorded for fresh/chilled Atlantic salmon and trout. Salmon increased by 17130% in value and 12912% in volume with the average prices per kilo growing by 32%. Trout jumped by 7832% in value and 5245% in volume with the average prices per kilo growing by 48% as compared to the corresponding figures last year.
Iceland
The second place in seafood import volume in the first quarter 2007 was taken by Iceland with the contribution of the country in the total volume of seafood imports to Russia amounting to ca.9.7%, namely more than 25,000 tonnes. At the same time, the share of the country in Russia's total seafood import value amounted to 5.56% allowing Iceland take the sixth place only.
China
The last one of Russia's three leading seafood suppliers in the first quarter 2007 was China shipping 17,400 tonnes of fish worth nearly 36.3 million USD. As compared to the first quarter last year, in 2007 the volume and value of Chinese seafood import to Russia grew by 53% and 82% correspondingly. The average price per kilo of the products imported from China increased nearly by 19% and amounted to 2.09 USD.
Frozen Alaska pollock fillets were China's main seafood export article and the share of the produce in the total volume of Chinese seafood exports to Russia amounted to 18.43% or 3200 metric tons. In value terms, the share of Chinese APO fillets in the overall value of the nation's exports to Russia amounted to 16.74% (more than 6 million USD).
Five leading suppliers of seafood to Russia in the first three months of 2007 as compared to the same period 2006
| Country of origin | January-March 2007 | January-March 2006 | Q1 2007 verus Q1 2006 | ||||||||||
| Value | Volume | Price in USD per kilo | Value | Volume | Price in USD per kilo | Value, % | Volume, % | Price per kilo, % | |||||
| USD | Share from total value | kg | Share from total volume | USD | Share from total value | kg | Share from total volume | ||||||
| Norway | 142213681 | 35.11% | 95953345 | 37.03% | 1.48 | 89103000 | 33.30% | 64895803 | 30.55% | 1.37 | 59.61% | 47.86% | 7.95% |
| Iceland | 22535922 | 5.56% | 25079010 | 9.68% | 0.90 | 19806049 | 7.40% | 26361324 | 12.41% | 0.75 | 13.78% | -4.86% | 19.60% |
| China | 36270671 | 8.96% | 17382184 | 6.71% | 2.09 | 19921259 | 7.45% | 11356376 | 5.35% | 1.75 | 82.07% | 53.06% | 18.95% |
| Vietnam | 35340133 | 8.73% | 17016130 | 6.57% | 2.08 | 12897822 | 4.82% | 7308050 | 3.44% | 1.76 | 174.00% | 132.84% | 17.68% |
| UK | 21052470 | 5.20% | 12423605 | 4.80% | 1.69 | 17873108 | 6.68% | 11755579 | 5.53% | 1.52 | 17.79% | 5.68% | 11.45% |
| TOTAL (Including other suppliers) | 405014900 | 259094594 | 1.56 | 267541276 | 212458921 | 1.26 | 51.38% | 21.95% | 24.14% | ||||
