Russia and Finland Launch a Berry and Venison Project

© Sputnik / Sergei Subbotin / Go to the mediabankMurmansk
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Murmansk - Companies in northern Russia and Finland have launched a EUR 2.5 million berry- and venison-processing project within the framework of Kolarctic CBC, a financing program designed to support cooperation between the North Calotte countries (Finland, Sweden, Norway) and northwest Russia.

The project involves the creation of new technology and the marketing of finished products.

A Russian-Finnish B2B meeting was held on November 12 as part of the Murmansk International Business Week. Sari Kantola, head of the Murmansk office of the Consulate General of Finland, said that Finland regarded the Murmansk Region as a reliable business partner. Murmansk Region Agriculture Minister Andrei Ivanov spoke about the region’s successful cooperation with Scandinavian countries and Finland. “The processing of wild berries is a priority for the Murmansk authorities,” Ivanov said.

One of the main initiatives presented at the meeting is a Russian-Finnish berry- and venison-processing project.

“We are only just launching the project. Its budget has been approved at EUR 2.5 million, with some EUR 1.3 million to be provided by Russian partners from the Murmansk Region, the Nenets Autonomous Area and St. Petersburg. We are uncertain about production volumes, because we are currently discussing technology upgrades and the marketing of new products,” Tatyana Fedorei, director of the International Center for Arctic Cooperation, told RIA Novosti.

The three-year project also provides for exchanging experiences, creating new products and staff training. “There are 11 partners altogether, including four in Finland. The venison-processing technology is better in Finland, but berry processing is equally good in both countries. The market for wild berries is growing, and we must take advantage of this. Our immediate plans include participating in exhibitions in Moscow, Helsinki and Stockholm,” said project director Ari Huhtala.

The Murmansk International Business Week is an annual forum and one of the main dialogue platforms of the Barents region countries. It involves several dozen events covering vital topics on international and interregional cooperation in the Arctic.

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