Russia Herbs, Spices & Seasonings insights

Core Tip: Russia is significantly increasing its exports of deep-processed pollock products to China, which indicates that the Sino-Russian seafood trade pattern is undergoing significant changes. In the past, China was Russia's largest seafood export market, accounting for about 58% of total exports, and mainly imported frozen whole fish for further processing. But now, China's demand for whole frozen pollock is rapidly declining, while the demand for deep-processed products such as fish fillets and surimi is growing rapidly.

The country's bee population is growing The Russian Ministry of Agriculture expects that honey production in our country in 2025 will be at the level of long-term averages, the department's press service reported. "This year, the volume of honey production in Russia is projected to be at the level of long-term averages - about 65 thousand tons. It is worth noting that the bee population in the country is growing. According to Rosstat, in 2024, there were 49.7 thousand bee colonies in agricultural organizations, which is 4.2% more than in the previous year," the report says. The Ministry also reported that comprehensive government support measures are provided for peasant (farming) households engaged in beekeeping: grants for beginning farmers and family livestock farms, as well as for the development of the material and technical base of agricultural cooperatives. "The Ministry of Agriculture expects a further increase in farmers' interest in beekeeping," the Ministry ...

The South and North Caucasus are the leaders Sowing of sugar beets continues in Russia. According to data as of mid-April, farmers have sown more than 366 thousand hectares, which is about 30% of the area planned for the crop, the analytical center of the breeding and seed company Ruseed reported. The sowing campaign has already covered 13 regions, with agricultural producers in the Southern and North Caucasus Federal Districts demonstrating the highest rates. According to the Ruseed review, sugar beets will occupy the largest area in Krasnodar Krai — 205 thousand hectares. Second and third places with approximately the same sowing area of 130 thousand hectares are in Voronezh and Tambov Oblasts. Lipetsk Region is in fourth place with a sowing plan of 116 thousand hectares. Next come Kursk (94 thousand hectares) and Belgorod (86 thousand hectares) regions; Penza and Oryol regions each plan to sow 65 thousand hectares with sugar beet. Tatarstan and Bashkortostan round out the top ...