No. 204: Russian Agriculture and Fisheries

No. 204: Russian Agriculture and Fisheries

Author(s): Stephen K. Wegren, Frode Nilssen, Christel Elvestad
Editor(s): Stephen Aris, Matthias Neumann, Robert Orttung, Jeronim Perović, Heiko Pleines, Hans-Henning Schröder, Aglaya Snetkov
Series: Russian Analytical Digest (RAD)
Issue: 204
Publisher(s): Center for Security Studies (CSS), ETH Zurich; Research Centre for East European Studies, University of Bremen; Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies, George Washington University
Publication Year: 2017

This edition focuses on Russian agricultural and fisheries policy, in light of the continued sanctions/countersanctions regimes. Stephen Wegren contributes two articles on agriculture: one, examining how Russia’s drive towards food security has evolved, with the goal of self-sufficiency becoming institutionalized and likely to continue after sanctions/countersanctions are ended; and two, considering Russia’s engagement with sustainable agriculture, which highlights obstacles to growth in organic food markets and a recent law banning GM food production. We also have two articles on fisheries policy: firstly, Frode Nilssen reviews the challenges facing Russia’s fishing industry and policy in relation to economic and social sustainability; and secondly, Christel Elvestad assesses the impact of countersanctions on the self-sufficiency of Russian fisheries, outlining that an increase in exports has not led to the successful substitution of imported products with domestically produced seafood.