TUNISIA – Authorities in Tunisia have given the green light for the importation of fishmeal and fishery products from Russia in an effort to boost local availability of fish.
The imports will be coordinated by Russia’s Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) recently obtained veterinary certificates for the export of fishery products and fishmeal.
Tunisia has one of the highest levels of fish consumption per capita in Africa with 12 kg/year making it an attractive destination for foreign suppliers.
According to data compiled on the Trademap platform, purchases of fish and fishery products made by the country of jasmine on the international market totaled more than US$100 million in 2021.
Tunisia’s high fish consumption per capita can be attributed to its proximity to the Mediterranean Sea, which has been an essential source of fish for the country for centuries.
The country’s fish market has been growing in recent years due to increased demand from local consumers and foreign markets.
Russia, which is the world’s 6th largest exporter of fishery products by value behind Norway, China, India, Vietnam and Canada, hopes to take advantage of Tunisian demand.
This move by Russia to obtain veterinary certificates for fish products and fish meal is in line with its broader ambitions to increase its food shipments to Africa.
In August 2022, Russia announced a roadmap targeting nine African countries, including Tunisia, Angola, and Cameroon, as part of its objective to expand its food exports to the continent.
With Tunisia, Russia also hopes to further increase its share of the international fish market as Tunisia also is a major exporter of fish.
About 33.5% of all fish and fishery products exported from Tunisia end up in Europe, which is the country’s biggest fish importer.
Russian daily AKM noted that companies looking to supply these items should be vetted to ensure they meet Tunisian regulations by the Russian Federal Agency for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance and added to the Cerberus IP Exporters Registry.
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