The main topic of the traditional autumn survey of the magazine is the results of the harvest, the quality and quantity of the harvested crop. This year we
also decided to ask market participants about their plans to develop the potato business.
MALIK GAYDAROV, Executive Director of Agroinvest Agricultural Enterprise LLC
(GC "Irrico"), Stavropol Territory
About 1,5 thousand hectares under potatoes
- I cannot call the 2021 season extremely successful for the company. In the spring, it rained for a long time in our region, and about 150 hectares were horrible
for late landing. Then the heat began, and in the end it was not possible to achieve a result corresponding to the investments in this area. An unpleasant story, considering that we are talking about 10% of the area.
As for the rest, in terms of harvests and yields, we have reached the planned targets.
The sale of potatoes, despite the high prices on the market, did not bring super-profits either. A significant volume of our total harvest is early potatoes, this year they began harvesting on June 20. They sold immediately, so the average price for the season turned out to be 18 rubles / kg - significantly lower than the figures that the buyer sees in the store today. Now (November 16 - ed.) We are completing the harvesting of the second harvest, they pay more for it. But these are also not the amounts that are reported in the media.
Everyone forgets that not everything that you dug falls on the shelf as the first grade. Some part of the crop can be sold at 40 rubles, some at 10, and some at 2 rubles.
This year we cannot complain about the quality, but in the central regions, potato growers received a lot of non-standard: if such products go to the network, then certainly not at a premium price.
In my opinion, you shouldn't be overly happy about record prices, they should be moderate: provide profitability to those who grow the product, and at the same time satisfy the buyer. In addition, at any moment, Egyptian potatoes can go to our market in bulk, and the “non-caliber” that someone is holding in the warehouse today will not be needed by anyone even for 20 rubles.
Although the worst thing is not in this: the potato growers have already received a certain income, but a new season is ahead. We have already cultivated the soil for the next year's harvest, laid the basic fertilizers (the cost of which doubled or more: last year they bought ammophos at 28 rubles, now at almost 60 rubles), purchased plant protection products (some drugs have increased in price by more than 50%). We raised the salaries of employees - by only 10%, but it cannot be otherwise: people have to somehow live in conditions when potatoes on the shelf are becoming more expensive every day. We have already incurred high costs, but no one guarantees that in 2022 we will be able to sell potatoes for at least 15-17 rubles.
With that said, making plans to increase production, as the authorities urge, is quite difficult.
However, such tasks are always difficult to solve. In our region, for example, there has been a shortage of high-quality seeds for several years: it is difficult to meet the existing needs.
All this does not mean that our company is not ready to develop. Next year, the agricultural enterprise "Agroinvest" is going to increase the area for potatoes by about 10% (we can no longer afford it because of the crop rotation); to expand the fleet of equipment for one more potato harvester; update cutters. So far, these are not very significant changes - in fact, investments in maintaining the volume that we have.
And in 23-24, the Irrico Group of Companies plans to launch an additional project for growing potatoes, adding about 600 hectares to the available areas. The holding will take this step because it sees prospects: today it is possible to deal with potatoes and earn money on it.
ELENA TUKHTAEVA, General Director of LLC
"Trading house" Zolotaya Niva ", Stavropol Territory
140 ha under potatoes
- The season is not ideal: for potatoes, the result is slightly worse than last year (in some areas, tubers were not harvested in caliber), for carrots, they also counted on a heavier harvest, the saddest situation with onions (a consequence of the fact that it rained throughout August and September ).
If we talk about prices on the market in comparison with previous years, they are very high. But if you calculate the cost of the resulting crop, it would be more correct to call them reasonable.
We are not planning to expand the area next season. In our region, potatoes can only be grown on irrigation, and the purchase of equipment requires large investments. Potentially, the company is considering the possibility of introducing new irrigated land, but for now this is a question for the future.
In general, it is difficult to talk about investments. On the one hand, the time has come to update some of the equipment (for example, packaging equipment - many machines are 10-12 years old), on the other hand, this year was preceded by such a long period of low prices for potatoes that we did not have time
"Recapture" those investments. Moreover, the price of the equipment has risen greatly.
In addition to rising prices for everything that is required for the new season, the issue of staff shortages is very worrisome. We are missing about 40% of our employees. The outflow of people from the villages continues, there is simply no one to go to the fields.
We approach the solution of the problem in a comprehensive manner: we plan and invite workers "from outside", and replace manual labor with machine labor in certain operations. Perhaps we will look for some more ways. Unfortunately, no one has yet invented a "magic pill" that will get rid of difficulties at once.
SERGEY NIKOLAEV, KFH Nikolaev Alexander Vasilievich,
Moscow region
100 ha under potatoes
- At the beginning of the season it was very dry, then the weather conditions got better, but we got an average harvest (in terms of volume). There are no complaints about the quality of the products, most of the grown was laid for storage.
We are satisfied with the prices on the market, but the costs of preparing for the new season are also growing, so we will try to choose the most opportune moment for the sale.
Next year we want to keep the same areas for potatoes, allocate 20-30 hectares for carrots and add beets to the assortment.
If there are free funds (and we hope that they will be), we will update some of the machines and equipment. On the farm there is always a need for good equipment for the field and warehouse. But all investments will go to maintain the current level of production, we do not plan to expand.
ALEXEY TALYUKIN, IP Talyukin Valery Fedorovich,
Altay
100 ha under potatoes
- In our region, I think, no one is satisfied with either the quality or the volume of the potato crop. There was no rain at the right time. Result:
we missed 30-40% of the planned amount. The potatoes are smaller than last year and have suffered more from diseases, although the treatments were carried out according to the standard scheme and in full.
We are thinking about changing varieties for the next season, but this is not easy: all the seed material in the region is imported. Nearest manufacturers
- in the Tyumen region and the Krasnoyarsk Territory. Accordingly, large consignments of seeds enter the region at a reasonable price, and small ones at an unreasonable price.
We do not plan to invest in equipment yet: there is no need for this without the growth of areas, the farm is equipped at a good level.
We are not considering the introduction of irrigation. In the Altai Territory, this direction is poorly developed, although it is objectively easier for those who grow irrigated potatoes to work. Unfortunately, the irrigation system that operated on our territory in the Soviet years has long been destroyed, and significant funds are needed to restore it. For a small farm, these will be unjustified costs.