According to the Russian Federal Fisheries Agency (Rosrybolovstvo), from January to November 2023, the production of fish feed in the country increased by 39% compared to 2022 amounting to 48,000 tons.

There are more than 20 factories in Russia that produce fish feed. The largest companies operate in the Kursk, Novosibirsk and Tver regions, as well as in the Republic of Karelia. The main share of production falls on feed for salmon and sturgeon.

Rosrybolovstvo reported that the increase was thanks to the license agreement between the All-Russian Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO), part of Rosrybolovstvo, and OJSC Melkombinat (Aquarex), a feed company that produces starter and grow-out feed manufactured under the supervision of VNIRO specialists. In 2023, a large-scale feed test was carried out, in which more than 60 fish farms took part.

Aquarex plans to establish a feed mill in the Smolensk region in 2025, the largest fish feed plant in Russia with a capacity of more than 100,000 tons per year with the scientific support from VNIRO.

Following the Russia-Ukraine conflict and after the shutdown of all trade activities from Western feed manufacturers, Russia has been supporting the production of aquafeeds in the country by subsidizing capital costs for building new feed mills.