News & Events in Belarus
Lukashenko confident of good future of Belarusian fishing industry
Aleksandr Lukashenko visits the Vishov fish farm in Belynichi District, September 2023
In 2019 the Belarusian president visited the Lokhva trout farm. He inquired about technology, profitability, production volumes and sales markets. Then he set a task: to get things off the ground quickly. Otherwise time may run out washing away the "goldfish"… In the new episode of the YouTube project "After the Fact: Lukashenko's Decisions" we will tell you how much fish is produced in Belarus. What is the way forward for the aquaculture industry in Belarus and how is the president ready to help if necessary?
How much fish does Belarus produce?
There are 16 aqua farms in Belarus. They produce 15,000 tonnes per year, of which up to 800 tonnes are valuable species. A few more figures from last year. Almost 14,000 tonnes of fish were caught in the country's reservoirs and 7,600 tonnes - in artificial tanks. Belarus mainly cultivates pond fish. 65% is carp. Among the valuable species are trout, sturgeon, catfish. In terms of commercial production, the leaders are the farms of Minsk Oblast and Brest Oblast.
In terms of consumption, Belarusians bought 3,200 tonnes of fish directly from fish farms last year. Some 2,000 tonnes were supplied to retail outlets and more than 1,500 tonnes – to the processing industry. When visiting Belarusian National Biotechnology Corporation last autumn, the president instructed the governors to think over new steps in fish farming, taking into account the availability of modern compound feeds.
"Since the sector yields good profitability, good margins, then let's build more. Sit down and think about what kind of fish we can produce here. Feeds are available,” the head of state said as he visited Belarusian National Biotechnology Corporation (BNBC) in November 2022.
What's the role of BNBC in development of domestic fish farming
BNBC has been launched successfully. The corporation produces complete high-performance compound feeds for valuable fish species in the form of extrudate. In simple terms, the granules are durable, retain their shape better and have increased water resistance. The quality is not worse than that from the world's best manufacturers. The edibility of such a product is 95-100%, which allows for rapid growth of fish with low feed costs.
Last year, Belarus began exporting compound feed for valuable fish species. The plans include a further increase in production. With such a flagship in the feed industry, it is logical that the country takes the domestic aquaculture sector further. Moreover, the main costs in fish farming are feed and energy, and in some countries - water. It is good that there's no problem with water in Belarus.
”BNBC is Belarus' main producer and supplier of compound feed for fish, namely trout, carp, and sturgeon. The country's demand for this product is about 30,000 tonnes per year. The BNBC capacity is 68,000. Thus, even if fish output doubles in Belarus, BNBC will still produce enough to meet the industry needs,” said Valentina Odintsova, Head of the Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Department, Agriculture and Food Ministry.
What is Belarus doing to increase fish output?
Last year Belarus imported 164,000 tonnes of fish and fish products worth $500 million. The president suggested expanding the country's own production. The 2021-2025 government program provides for nearly doubling the output of valuable fish species throughout the country. In order to fulfill this task, Belarus needs to increase its production capacity. Successful examples are already there. One of fish farms launched the production of black caviar that now outcompetes similar products in blind tastings and is praised by specialists.
”Once I visited a fish farm near Minsk that grew sturgeon and produced black caviar. I bought their black caviar gift boxes to give to my colleagues. Everyone was surprised. I gifted them to Ilham Aliyev and Vladimir Putin. I said: “Try it, there's nothing like that in the Kremlin.” He was surprised that we produce such caviar. Why not, if we have these technologies,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said during his visit to BNBC in November 2022.
What fish farm is viewed by the president as the most promising?
The president visited the Lokhva trout farm again in 2023. The president was told about measures taken to ramp up the output of valuable fish species. It turned out, all investments paid off. The farm is running at a profit and plans to scale up operations. The president supported projects to build new fish complexes in Mogilev Oblast.
Three facilities will be built in the region, including a complex in Krasnopolie District. Its production capacity will be 1,000 tonnes of trout per year. The preliminary project cost is about Br40 million. A facility to produce rainbow trout caviar will be built in Cherikov. It will cost almost Br35 million to build and will produce 25 million fish eggs per year. The construction of a trout hatchery is also under consideration.
“Okay, we will support it. Even if you run short of funds, we will lend you some money. But we need to build these facility really fast. Let's bring these two projects to life,” the head of state said during his trip to Belynichi District in September 2023.
The Lokhva farm is an example of how fish farming can and should develop. This is the country's largest rainbow trout production facility. It operates the whole production cycle, from hatching to making finished products. Advanced technology secures sustainable fish farming regardless of the climate. However, it is not as easy as it may seem at first glance. Profit does not come immediately. It takes two to three years to go from eggs to marketable fish.
Where does Belarus train specialists for its fishing industry?
The president's instruction is to put personnel first. Given its prospects, the industry needs highly-qualified specialists. Belarus started training specialists for the fishing industry more than 30 years ago. The agricultural academy in Gorki once launched an industrial fish farming specialty. Now it is called ‘aquatic bioresources and aquaculture'. They have a well-developed infrastructure. The academy runs a fish-breeding industrial complex. Closed water supply installations help students to lean to grow fish of different species.
“Belarusian State Agricultural Academy is the country's main institution that trains fish industry specialists. The department has 45 graduates per year, with half of them being full-time students. They are assigned to fish farms, and the majority of them continue working there,” Valentina Odintsova said.
How much fish does Belarus plan to produce in 2023?
In 2023, the country plans to produce 17,000 tonnes of fish, including 1,000 tonnes of valuable species. Our fish products are recognizable abroad. The country sold its fish to 35 countries last year.
“The production facility was launched following the president's decision in 2013. Three complexes were built. Later they were united into one organization. We had to hone our skills. Today we know how to do it,” Valentina Odintsova said.
Belarus is far from being a large fish producer. After all it is a landlocked country. However, we will always have fish on our tables. Monthly consumption is a little more than one kilogram per capita on average. But why not try to make it a go-to product? We have the technology to do it. As the saying goes: no pain, no gain.
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