Russia has largely completed the “first stage” of import substitution in aquafeed production, with domestic producers now supplying the vast majority of the market, officials and industry representatives outlined during a recent meeting.
Fish feed production in Russia rose to more than 120,000 tonnes in 2025, up 20% year on year, with a government target of 200,000 tonnes set for 2026, said Igor Zubarev, first deputy head of the Federation Council Committee on Agrarian and Food Policy and Environmental Management.
Shift toward self-sufficiency
Russia is moving towards self-sufficiency in fish feed – a segment where, prior to 2022, dependence on imports was close to 80%, with the lion’s share of all products supplied by Europe.
Zubarev said domestic feed mills are now fully meeting internal demand for carp, sturgeon and catfish, while dependence on imported feeds for valuable species has declined significantly.
Imports of feed for high-value fish species have fallen from 176,000 tonnes in 2020 to around 23,000 tonnes in 2025, he noted.
Feed additives and ingredients challenge
However, Zubarev cautioned that structural challenges remain, particularly dependence on imported enzymes, vitamins and other feed additives.
Russia currently imports around 90% of feed vitamins, primarily from China.
“The first stage can be considered successfully completed. Now we need to move to the next level and fine-tune the system.” – Igor Zubarev, Federation Council Committee on Agrarian and Food Policy and Environmental Management
Officials cautiously optimistic
Still, Russian officials remain satisfied with the pace of import replacement in the fish feed segment.
“The volumes being imported are now insignificant. If anything happens, all types of feed are available domestically,” he said. “The first stage can be considered successfully completed. Now we need to move to the next level and fine-tune the system.”
“However, it is premature to say that the feed issue has been fully resolved,” he said, adding that key components for fish feed production are still sourced abroad.
Market and technological bottlenecks
Industry representatives also pointed to uneven utilisation of capacity and lingering cost pressures that could limit competitiveness.
Domestic salmon feed production has become a key driver of import substitution, but a slowdown in salmon farming over the past 2 years could weigh on future feed output, according to industry participants.
“There is still a lack of research into feed formulation efficiency, as well as methods for independent quality verification of raw materials and alternative ingredient sources,” said Vladimir Demotko, head of the Astrakhan-based company Rybnye Korma.
He added that Russian producers also face strong competition from cheaper imported feeds, including from Turkey.
Structural bottlenecks remain, including technological dependence on imported equipment. Industry data show that domestic equipment accounts for no more than 26% of installations at feed mills, with Chinese suppliers dominating the market.
