Russia has a population of 138.7 million (July 2011 estimated), and is the largest consumer market in Central and Eastern Europe. Approximately 7.6% of the population, or 10.5 million people, live in the capital of Moscow. With a population of 4.8 million, St. Petersburg is the country's second-most important economic and cultural centre.
As a whole, Russia has twelve cities with more than one million inhabitants, and more than twenty additional cities have populations exceeding half a million residents. These highly populated cities offer huge potential for growth.
The fish and seafood sector has proven to be a promising area of opportunity for Canadian suppliers specializing in fish, crustaceans, molluscs, and other aquatic products. Trade statistics have placed Canada fourth for total exports to Russia in this sector in 2010. Canada's total exports of fish and seafood to Russia have increased every year since 2003, and are expected to continue growing.
The ready-to-eat seafood segments, such as shrimp, crab, scallops, squid, and mussels, continue to show positive growth. The fresh fish and seafood market is also on the rise and is thought to be far from saturation; local markets are carrying a full range of products covering all price ranges.
Despite rising fish and seafood consumption, Russia still lags behind European and American levels in per capita terms. In 2010, consumption of fish and processed fish per capita was 20kg, compared to the 21kg European average, and 26kg in Japan. However, long-term forecasts remain positive, and it is expected that fish consumption in Russia will reach the level of large fish-consuming markets like Japan.
