People in Kyiv love fishing. Whether in the summer, with blow-up boats dotting the Dnieper or in the winter with stoic mummified forms monitoring blow-holes in the frozen river, fishermen (sic) are everywhere.
It’s no surprise, then, to find that British companies producing fishing gear are making a big impact in Ukraine. When I visit the Kyiv Fishing Show, I meet representatives of a British firm who tell me that in a period when the Ukrainian market is beginning to recover from last year’s recession, turnover is increasing rapidly.
It’s great to look around the exhibition and see literally hundreds of stalls thronged with enthusiastic fishing folk stocking up for their next foray into the lakes and rivers of Ukraine. I hope other UK companies keen to export high quality goods from specialised clothing to rods, bait, floats and reels will follow the lead of those already working here.
Meanwhile, next time I see a fisherman at an ice-hole on the Dnieper I shall have a better idea of what kind of equipment they are using.
