On July 9, in the Astrakhan region, at the site of a large potato-growing enterprise LLC MAPS, an Innovation Day “Potato Technologies” took place.
The event was organized by GRIMME and Syngenta, general partners - Eurochem, HZPC Sadokas, Lemken, Manitou and Valley.
The guests of the Innovation Day were mainly farmers from the Astrakhan region and neighboring regions, although there were also representatives of farms from the Tula, Ryazan and even Sverdlovsk regions among the visitors.
Opening the meeting, Alexander Shirin, Commercial Director of GRIMME, wished all those present good communication, which is sorely lacking in today's conditions: "GRIMME always strives to create a comfortable festive atmosphere at the events it participates in." And the holiday really turned out.
The program of the Innovation Day included technological master classes, test drives of the latest models of machinery and equipment. In addition, the event participants were presented with the test results of potato varieties promising for the southern regions, nutrition programs and plant protection systems.
South direction
As you know, the Astrakhan region stands out sharply against the background of other potato-growing regions of Russia due to climatic conditions. “The most important difference,” noted Dmitry Gorobets, head of the marketing campaigns group for vegetables, specialized crops and potatoes at Syngenta LLC, “you cannot grow potatoes here without irrigation, and the introduction of irrigation entails the need for increased nutrition, a full range of fungicidal treatments. and using only the best drugs. But the result of the use of intensive technologies speaks for itself. "
Company HZPC Sadokas selected 16 potato varieties for planting in experimental plots. Most of them are early ones that are very popular in the south, but stress tests were also arranged for several technical ones.
Anna Khrabrova, commercial manager HZPC Sadokas, explained: “In the Astrakhan region, the production of potatoes for processing is at the very beginning of its journey, but this direction is one of the most relevant today. Now, together with the agronomists of MAPS LLC, we are testing varieties intended for the production of French fries: we look at how different varieties tolerate heat and drought, what planting density is better to choose to obtain the maximum tuber length in specific conditions for a particular variety, which varieties with minimum investments will bring maximum economic benefits. This is an important study, the results of which will help process companies develop new regions. ”
Meeting point - LLC "MAPS"
Many guests of the Innovation Day noted that the new event attracted them very much not only with a rich program, but also with the opportunity to personally visit the fields of MAPS LLC and get acquainted with the achievements of the enterprise. And this is not surprising: the farm, which started literally "from scratch", with the development of vacant land, in three years achieved the status of the largest in the region and entered the circle of suppliers of raw materials for the most famous Russian potato processors and fast food chains. “It has become a farm of high farming culture,” Alexander Shirin said.
Dmitry Gorobets emphasized: “Today MAPS LLC is the most powerful potato project in the South of Russia. It is in the center of attention of the professional community, because everyone is interested to see what result can be achieved with favorable climatic conditions and state-of-the-art technologies. "
“LLC“ MAPS ”is an example of an economy that others should be guided by,” Anna Khrabrova agreed with him, “is an organization that intelligently combines constant work on product quality, the ability to conduct a dialogue and the desire to learn new things and develop.”
And without this desire, according to the organizers of the Innovation Day, it is impossible to achieve success.
Innovation Day as a tradition
However, next year innovations in potato growing will be discussed at the new site. The organizers expect that the event will be held on a regular basis and will maintain its "southern residence" so that in the regions for which potatoes are important, but not the main crop, there is no shortage of professional knowledge.
“We want the Innovation Day to become an annual traditional event, within which all key players in the potato market could meet with agricultural producers and share new information with them, demonstrate all innovative developments and technologies that we have,” summed up the company. participants.
The exact date of the meeting is not yet known, but most likely, the Innovation Day, like this year, will take place in the first half of July - this is the time when harvesting of early varieties is already beginning in the southern regions and we can already talk about the first results of the season.