Russian Sturgeons Denied Access to Berlin Exhibition

The Polish customs office prevented the Volgograd region's sturgeons and black caviar from reaching the Green Week exhibition in Berlin.

The big live sturgeons were carried to represent the region at the exhibition, said Volgograd governor Nikolai Maksyuta. The regional administration had prepared all the documents for display and the governor had signed them. But the Polish customs officers said the documents had to be signed by the government of Russia because the export of the sturgeons is restricted by international agreements.

Having blocked the way for big surgeons, the Polish customs office, however, gave way to the hybrid of beluga and sterlet and now these 40-centimetre-long fishes can be seen in the Russian pavilion's aquarium.

In the opinion of the Volgograd governor, the customs incident could hardly scar the already wonderful Volgograd exposition.

It is for the first time that the Volgograd region takes part in the Green Week exhibition with its highly-ecological products: Volga fish, fresh vegetables, honey, mustard, sweets, various brands of vodka, water-melons and melons.

The region wants to use the exhibition to find investors for the development of the processing industry, in particular, the construction of lines for converting tomatoes into paste and ketchups and for processing watermelons. And this applies not only to watermelon pickling and canning but also to the making of watermelon honey. Traditional honey named "nardek" has long been made by local Cossacks.

The Russian exposition will stage Volgograd Region Day this Saturday.