Among the vegetables of the borscht set, white cabbage occupies one of the leading positions in terms of sales, although it does not always bring high income to agricultural producers. Agrarians from regions with different climatic conditions spoke about the peculiarities of growing this crop, the situation in the fields at the height of the season and the prospects for the next harvest.
Andrey Babushkin, KFH Babushkin A. A., Republic of Mari El
– We started more than 10 years ago with white cabbage, which was planted on an area of up to 30 hectares, but then we focused on potatoes. The main reason is that its production requires a lot of manual labor, but the cultivation of tubers is mechanized as much as possible. This season, 13 hectares have been allotted for cabbage on the farm, as in the past.
This culture can be very profitable or extremely unprofitable - depending on the price established in the wholesale market. So, 2022 in this area turned out to be a failure for vegetable growers, and 2021 brought high profits. In general, cabbage is characterized by large price jumps: it can be sold for 50 rubles per kilogram, and for 5 rubles.
In the first half of July, cabbage in the fields of the republic looks like it's a sin to complain. The seedlings took root well, there was enough moisture, there was no strong heat. Even the cabbage moth does not cause much trouble. So far, the prospects for the future harvest are not bad, and I think this year will be successful for the crop.
Today is a hot time for producers of early cabbage from the Krasnodar Territory, Rostov Region, Dagestan, but we are not competitors to them. When our colleagues from the southern regions sell off their goods, there is a lull in the market for some time. And in August, when mid-ripening cabbage ripens, the sale of this vegetable becomes even more profitable than in June and July.
During the period of mass cleaning, in September, prices collapse sharply. During this period, farmers who do not have the opportunity to store their crops are ready to give it away at any cost. Here dealers become more active, and they already redirect part of the cabbage to retail sales, and part to processing. If demand is stable, the price tag remains at an acceptable level; if not, vegetable growers are forced to trade at a loss. But many farms, like ours, put their crops in storage in anticipation of rising prices for their products.
According to my estimates, Mari El is one of the main producers of white cabbage in Russia. Only in our Gornomariysky district it occupies about 3,5 thousand hectares. In autumn, 50-60 heavy trucks leave its territory every day, which deliver vegetables throughout Russia, right up to the Far East. True, now production volumes have decreased, because there were years when the harvest from the republic was sent by train.
Valentin Myakushev, KFH Myakushev V. S., Kaliningrad region
- The strongest drought has been in the region since the beginning of spring, as a result, all crops have suffered, not only white cabbage. For example, grain crops almost died in our farm. There was no precipitation even in May and the first half of June, so cabbage was planted in dry ground, and then rains were expected for another three weeks. They watered on their own, but this was not enough for the moisture-loving crops, and now they do not look the best. It is possible to ensure a good harvest only by sowing the crop again. But then there is a great risk that we will not have time to harvest before the autumn heavy rains begin, and it will simply be impossible to enter the field.
Previously, we grew up to 10 hectares of cabbage per season, but in recent years - no more than three, since the implementation is very difficult. Early varieties were not planted at all in 2023, because there is too much competition among their producers. Although this time, due to drought, early cabbage did not grow in any of the locals. Usually already in June, with the start of harvesting, the market is oversaturated with this product, and you just don’t know what to do with it.
The region is fully self-sufficient in white cabbage, and farmers continue to sell it until spring. The vegetable does not require large expenses, and many farmers and agricultural enterprises willingly grow it. Cabbage is sold primarily through intermediaries who work under contracts with processors and trading companies. And if there is a demand on their part, growing a crop can be called profitable. But it often happens that up to a third of the crop has to be thrown away or sold for a penny.
Stepan Lesnichin, SSSPK YugOvoshchSbyt”, Astrakhan region
- This year we are really flooded, and it rains constantly and throughout the entire region, with greater or lesser intensity. Due to an excess of moisture, the cabbage bursts, the quality of the resulting product falls. With the appearance of large volumes of vegetables on the market, many producers may experience sales problems, and it makes no sense to store cracked heads of cabbage for storage.
In our agricultural cooperative, over the past four years, the area under cabbage has remained unchanged. Cleaning, as a rule, starts on June 10, continues at full speed and ends in July. Right now, our workers are in the field, fighting for a new crop.
Small vegetable farms sell their products mainly through intermediaries, while large ones work with wholesale buyers, including retail chains, directly. In the first case, prices for cabbage are much lower, but the sale is more active. In the second, the conditions are favorable, but there are more difficulties due to the retailers' strict requirements for product quality.
It is too early to give forecasts for the current season, and this is a thankless task. Let's look at the situation and give it an assessment after the end of the cleaning work. After all, it is still unknown what kind of weather conditions will be in the future and what prices for white cabbage will form on the market.
Ivan Shishkanov, CH «friendship", Tyumen region
- The conditions for culture in the new season are extremely unfavorable due to natural anomalies. Spring frosts in the region were recorded not only in April, but also in early May. And so strong that the plants completely died, such as, for example, cucumber crops. Cabbage is more resistant to low temperatures, and yet some shoots were damaged early on.
In May, the seedlings were still in the greenhouses when the heat came on, reaching up to 36°C in the shade. By the time they landed in the field, the sprouts turned out to be weakened and “sat” in the ground for another month at the same high temperature. Moreover, on artificial irrigation, because we had no rain for a total of two months. Accordingly, all biological processes in plants slowed down, they did not fully assimilate nitrogen, potassium, or phosphorus.
Then the rains poured down, and in three days about 100 millimeters of rain fell. After that, the situation began to level off, but the two-week delay from the crop growth schedule could no longer be compensated. And if a long period of heat comes again, we definitely won’t be able to harvest a good harvest.
According to the production program, the area under cabbage on the farm annually remains approximately at the same level. We start harvesting in the first days of July and chop ripe heads of cabbage immediately for sale until September 20th. From this date, continuing sales, we start harvesting late varieties, which are sent for storage in refrigerators. Critical cold can come at any moment, down to -10°C, and we are in a hurry to meet the tight deadlines. Deliveries of products are carried out mainly in large retail chains. Planned sales last until March 10, but in fact they can end only by April.
As you can already see, our losses by the end of the season will amount to about 5% of the gross harvest compared to last year. For the current implementation of cabbage, we have always lacked, and this year the felling window will be even shorter. In the region in the last decade, there has been a slight decrease in the production of white cabbage. I think this is due not to its profitability, but to the need to attract manual labor. Labor shortages are forcing farmers to opt for less marginal crops that are easier to grow. But other farmers who keep cabbage in their fields get the opportunity to effectively develop this area further.
Irina Berg