Fish processing plant. (Photo: Stock File)
ECUADOR
Wednesday, August 27, 2014, 01:50 (GMT + 9)
Some 25 Ecuadorian companies engaged in fishing, and aquaculture product production (fishmeal and fish oil) are finalizing preparations to export their products to the Russian market.
The National Fisheries Institute (INP) under the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Aquaculture and Fisheries (MAGAP) has already informed Russia about the intention of several local firms to join the list of 36 companies that since 2009 have been trading partners to that market.
The Russian government will now determine whether the companies comply with the current regulations governing the control of imports of fishery and aquaculture products.
Last week, INP officials talked with members of the export sector on the Russian norms and entrepreneurs are committed to comply with the requirements from Russia.
Ulbio Paredes, INP Fisheries Quality, Aquaculture and Environmental Assurance coordinator, explained that one of the requirements of the Russian authorities is that each firm must have a microbiology laboratory to perform their own analysis.
Russia also requires arsenic control to all products and tests on Russian territory to detect the presence of radioactive cesium and strontium, MAGAP reported.
According to statistics from the Central Bank of Ecuador (BCE), until June this year Russia had purchased Ecuadorian shrimp for USD 9.39 million; hake for USD 2.60 million; and tuna for about USD 500,000.
For his part, José Antonio Camposano, president of the National Aquaculture Chamber (CNA) commented that Russia means 1 per cent of the shrimp exports from Ecuador and this year the demand rose about 20 per cent compared to 2013, reported the newspaper El Universo.
The executive president of the Chamber of Fisheries, Rafael Trujillo, considers that exporting products to Russia response is complicated because it has high health standards and it is a very selective market.
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