The introduction of the online sales system in the fishing industry contributed to the growth of fish production in Ukraine. The total turnover of the sector increased to 1 billion hryvnias per year. At the same time, the price of such products increased by less than 8%.
Despite the gradual increase in the consumption of fish and seafood, Ukrainians still buy much less of such products than Europeans or residents of Asian countries. On average, a person in our country consumes 13.7 kilograms of fish per year. At the same time, the average figure in the world is 20.4 kg per person. The estimated fish consumption fund in Ukraine is 520-550 thousand tons per year.
“After the start of the auctions at “Prozoro. Sales” in 2023, when 24.5 thousand tons of fish were caught, 101 million UAH were paid in taxes for the use of aquatic biological resources. At the same time, the price of fish increased by only 7.6%. This is significantly higher than in 2021, when there were no auctions, while catching 19.8 thousand tons, the business paid 13.4 million hryvnias in taxes. Today, the turnover in the fishing industry is over a billion hryvnias,” said Deputy Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine Vitaly Holovnia.
Business and government representatives discussed the prospects of the direction at the forum “Fishery reform: how to make the fishing sector profitable?”. Currently, the adaptation of the Ukrainian legislation regulating the fishing industry to the EU norms continues. In the future, this will allow us to consider the possibility of developing the export of such products to the countries of the European Union.
Vitaly Holovnia emphasized that even despite the war, the industry continues to develop.
“Even in 2022, more than 15,000 tons of fish were grown in the field of aquaculture. Entrepreneurs in such a difficult time, when feed prices rose and there were supply interruptions, continued to ensure the country’s food security and supported the national economy,” the deputy minister noted.
