OREANDA-NEWS  Salmon remains the most popular caviar in Russia, and in the price–prestige ratio it occupies the most profitable marketing niche, even though Russians may dream of sturgeon in their hearts, German Zverev, president of the All-Russian Association of Fish Producers (VARPE), told RIA Novosti at the WEF-2025.

"Perhaps most people dream of sturgeon caviar in their hearts, but in reality, taking into account the cost and disposable income, salmon caviar dominates the market," said Zverev.

He clarified that "popularity is a high degree of demand in the grocery market, and demand depends not only on taste preferences, but also on the price of goods and disposable incomes of the population."

"The volume of the caviar market in Russia varies from year to year depending on the catch, but on average it ranges from 20-23 thousand tons. Two thirds are salmon caviar, the rest are pike, herring, pollock, capelin, cod, and just a little bit – sturgeon," concluded Zverev.

According to him, the price availability of red caviar compared to black caviar is related to the volume of production: on average, Russian companies produce 13-17 thousand tons of salmon caviar per year, depending on the volume of catch, while black caviar is only a few dozen tons, and all of them are from farmed fish, since sturgeon extraction has been prohibited since 2005.

The tenth Eastern Economic Forum is taking place on September 3-6 in Vladivostok on the campus of the Far Eastern Federal University. The main theme of this year's WEF is "The Far East – cooperation for peace and Prosperity." RIA Novosti is the general information partner of the forum.