All-Russian Association of Fishery Enterprises, Entrepreneurs and Exporters

The All-Russian Association of Fishery Enterprises, Entrepreneurs and Exporters (Russian: Всероссийская ассоциация рыбохозяйственных предприятий, предпринимателей и экспортеров), commonly known by its acronym ВАРПЭ (VARPE), is a Russian non-commercial industry association founded in 1994. It unites fishing, aquaculture, fish-processing, storage, transport and bio-feed companies, as well as regional and federal industry unions and research institutes. According to its own materials, the association's members account for more than 90% of Russia's annual national catch of aquatic biological resources, and its combined catch exceeds 4 million tonnes. It is widely described as one of the five most influential fishery associations in the world and the leading such body in the Russian Federation. The association is headquartered in Moscow and represents the entire geographic span of the Russian fishing industry, from Kaliningrad to Kamchatka and from Murmansk to Astrakhan. Its membership includes around 70 partner participants — leaders of the fishing market — and, through direct and associated membership, some 495 industry organizations. Members include harvesting, processing, storage and transport companies, aquaculture (fish-farming) enterprises and producers of bio-feeds, alongside major federal and regional associations. VARPE's core activity is advocacy and industry representation. It works to remove excessive administrative barriers, to shape the allocation of fishing rights, to improve the quality and promotion of domestic fish products, and to influence tax policy in the sector. The association interacts with federal and regional government bodies, and its events involve representatives of the State Duma, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East. It participated in launching the investment quota mechanism, in preparing amendments to the Russian Tax Code and in the renegotiation of quota-share agreements. VARPE is headed by President German Zverev, who also sits on the Business Council of the Eurasian Economic Union and leads the Public Council under Rosrybolovstvo (the Federal Agency for Fisheries). The association takes part in the Eastern Economic Forum and the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, and cooperates internationally, including with the Japan Fisheries Association. It is a member of the Russian Government Commission on the Development of the Fisheries Complex.

The association was created in January 1993 as an interregional non-commercial organization and was transformed a year later, in 1994, into the All-Russian Association of Fishery Enterprises, Entrepreneurs and Exporters. On 24 January 1994, the Moscow Registration Chamber issued the registration certificate of the All-Russian Association of Fishery Enterprises, Entrepreneurs and Exporters (non-commercial organization). In 1996, the association's members numbered 24 companies uniting 64 enterprises working in the industry. In 2009, the association signed a cooperation agreement with the Federal Agency for Fisheries (Rosrybolovstvo), and a provision was included in the fisheries law obliging authorities to involve industry associations and public organizations in the development and implementation of decisions in the field of fisheries. By 2012, Rosrybolovstvo reported that VARPE had united around 100 industry enterprises and organizations; research institutes, industry enterprise associations, and regional unions and associations of fishermen had joined. In 2017, new members included the Union of Fishermen of Crimea and Sevastopol, the Trans-Urals Aquaculture Association, the Association of Refrigerated Rolling Stock Operators, Vladivostok Sea Fishing Port (OAO), Kamchatka companies Delphin and Delta Fish Ltd, and two industry institutes: the Russian Federal Research Institute of Fisheries and Oceanography (VNIRO) and the State Design and Engineering Institute for the Fishing Fleet (Giprorybflot). In 2020, VARPE's membership comprised 79 enterprises, industry associations and unions at regional and federal level, uniting 495 industry enterprises and organizations. The share of member companies in the total national catch exceeded 90%. In 2020, the association entered the Top-3 ranking of industry associations by the journal Vestnik Agropromyshlennogo Kompleksa. Today VARPE is described as one of the five most influential fishery associations in the world and the leading one in the Russian Federation, with a share of more than 90% of the annual national catch of aquatic biological resources. Its membership includes around 70 partner participants — leaders of the fishing market — as well as major federal and regional industry associations covering the geography from Kaliningrad to Kamchatka and from Murmansk to Astrakhan. Members include enterprises engaged in harvesting, processing, storage and transport of aquatic biological resource products, as well as aquaculture (fish-farming) enterprises and bio-feed producers. VARPE unites 495 fishery organizations, both directly and in association through industry unions, with a combined catch of more than 4,000,000 tonnes.

• 2020

  Membership comprised 79 enterprises, associations and unions uniting 495 industry organizations; entered the Top-3 ranking of industry associations by Vestnik APK.

• 2019

  Presented results of a regulatory policy study conducted by HSE with the association's assistance at the International Fishery Forum; proposed allocating 20 billion rubles from the Industrial Development Fund for shipyard modernization.

• 2019

  In October, following the association's request, Yuri Trutnev reported that President Putin had approved 10 billion rubles in subsidies for crab vessel construction in the Far East.

• 2017

  New members joined, including the Union of Fishermen of Crimea and Sevastopol, VNIRO and Giprorybflot.

• 2012

  Rosrybolovstvo reported VARPE had united around 100 industry enterprises and organizations.

• 2009

  Signed a cooperation agreement with the Federal Agency for Fisheries; a provision on involving industry associations was included in the fisheries law.

• 1996

  Membership comprised 24 companies uniting 64 industry enterprises.

• 1994

  Transformed into the All-Russian Association of Fishery Enterprises, Entrepreneurs and Exporters; registered by the Moscow Registration Chamber on 24 January.

• 1993

  Association created in January as an interregional non-commercial organization.

Russia's leading and one of the world's five most influential fishery industry associations, representing members that account for over 90% of the national catch.

• Industry advocacy and representation

  Representing members' interests before federal and regional government bodies, including the State Duma, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Industry and Trade and Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East.

• Regulatory and legislative analysis

  Participation in the 'regulatory guillotine' working group, preparation of amendments to the Tax Code and renegotiation of quota-share agreements.

• Sector research, estimates and forecasts

  Analytics on the fishing industry, including a 2019 study with HSE that identified 550 burdens in 55 of 66 regulatory acts.

• Business dialogue platforms and events

  Organization of industry events, participation in the Eastern Economic Forum and St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

• Consultative and training webinars

  Webinars on labeling of fish products and dietary supplements, red caviar labeling, and localization requirements for investment quota vessels.

1. 1ВАРПЭ: Всероссийская ассоциация рыбохозяйственных предприятий, предпринимателей и экспертовvarpe.org
2. 2О ВАРПЭvarpe.org
3. 3Wikidata Q120280019wikidata.org
4. 4ВАРПЭ — Википедияru.wikipedia.org