TOMSK, Aug 13 – RIA Tomsk. Fish processing enterprises of the Tomsk region are actively updating their workshops and preparing to expand capacity; first of all, it is planned to saturate the regional market with products, and from 2022 to export surpluses to Kazakhstan, the head of the hunting and fishery department of the Tomsk region Victor Sirotin told RIA Tomsk.
It was previously reported that by the end of 2019 two new factories will be launched in the Tomsk region - canning factory in the Aleksandrovsky district and fish processing factory in Predtechensk. Two more large enterprises - in the Kolpashevsky and Parabel districts - plan to expand and modernize their production by 2020.
"The closest country which is ready to consume Tomsk fish products - is Kazakhstan. We have environmentally friendly natural resources, and all of this is already branded, and Kazakhstan - is the closest consumer of these products. As soon as new plants reach their full capacity, they will export their products. And partners are ready to buy this fish", - Sirotin said.
According to him, it is expected that new plants will begin to produce first products in the first quarter of 2020. The fish processing plant in Predtechensk after reaching full capacity will be able to produce up to 3 thousand tons per year. But the plant in Aleksandrovsk plans to produce up to 6 thousand cans of canned food per year, having the opportunity to double production if necessary.
"Is planned to start exporting our fish products in 2022. First of all, we need to provide domestic market and neighboring regions, and the surplus send for export", - Sirotin said, adding that in Tomsk it is expected to be updated one more enterprise in 2020, as well as modernization of the fishing fleet is expected.An increase in fish production capacities will require a larger catch volume from fishing enterprises. At present, 3.5 thousand tons of fish are harvested in the region, and it is planned to increase these volumes up to 5-6 thousand tons per year soon. “Fishermen are ready for this, there would be demand and consumption of fish products”, - the interlocutor of the agency noted.