The magazine’s traditional survey took place in late January and was dedicated to summing up the 2018 season (for many, the season continues, since there is a significant amount of potatoes left in the stores) and preparing for spring.
The conversation, as always, was about prices, problems and expectations from the new year.
Dmitry Nikolaev, chief agronomist of Selfon LLC,
Udmurt Republic
300 ha under potatoes
- Our farm specializes in growing ware potatoes. At the moment (January 28 - ed.) For us the season has not yet ended, the harvest is only half realized.
The market situation is not very happy: we sell at 8-10 rubles / kg, last year prices were higher. But with potatoes it’s always like this: it is difficult to predict in advance what the financial result will be.
We hope that the next season will be more successful. According to the enterprise development strategy, we plan to increase the area under this culture by 10%.
We grow two main varieties: Bellarosa and Crohn, they are in demand among our customers. In the new season, we will supplement the line with the Red Lady variety.
Alexander Zinyakov, Deputy General Director for Plant Production
PJSC "Goose-AGRO", Vladimir region
600 ha under potatoes
- We have been growing potatoes of chips varieties for 12 years already under an agreement for Frito Lay Manufacturing. The past year was not ideal for our farm, the weather created certain difficulties, but we are happy with the harvest: the potatoes are of good quality.
By the end of January, we had already delivered to the customer about half of the collected volume, then we will ship monthly in batches of 1000 tons each month until the end of June.
Of course, we are preparing for the new season. We do not plan to expand the planting area, it is not easy to do this in our area: the lands around the farm are heavily neglected.
The main difficulties in work - like any domestic agricultural enterprise - we associate with the rise in prices for everything except our products: electricity is very expensive, fuels and lubricants ... Although we also have our own nuances: the most important thing for a farm today is to keep tubers in perfect condition: without damage, without raising the level of reducing sugars. All efforts are directed at this.
Valery Pakhtusov, Head
LLC "Agrofirm Rus", Nizhny Novgorod region
200 ha under potatoes
- The potatoes of the 2018 season have not yet been sold, but less than half are left (about 1,5 thousand tons - as of January 30). There is a demand for products, you can only complain about prices. We sell at 9 rubles / kg, last year at the same time, buyers paid twice as much.
In the new season we plan to increase the area under table potatoes to 300 hectares and update the varieties. We bought seed material of German selection, but of domestic production, we will wait for a good harvest.
We do not see any fundamentally new problems on the eve of spring, the difficulties are the same: expensive fertilizers, diesel fuel, etc. We can handle it!
Anatoly Admaykin, head of the vegetable production and processing workshop
JSC "Teplichnoe", Republic of Mordovia
160 ha under potatoes
- We supply potatoes grown on our farm to social institutions (hospitals, schools, kindergartens, nursing homes) in Saransk and sell them in our stores (we have 13 outlets). We plan to continue sales until the end of May, now there are about 1000 tons of products in the warehouse. We sell at 17 rubles / kg, the price suits both us and the buyers.
In the new season we will not increase the area, since there is no need for additional volumes of products in the city, and selling “on the side” in bulk for us is less profitable.
From the nearest plans - to purchase seed potatoes of an early variety, since the available stocks are insufficient.
Anton Leonov, managing director
KH "Gardener", Astrakhan region
60 ha under potatoes
- For our farm, the 2018 season is over, the entire potato crop has been sold before the new year. The prices were not the highest, but we sell the goods not to the end consumer, but to intermediaries.
We do not expect any special changes in the new season. The farm has been operating for a long time, all the necessary production capacities are available, the areas are settled.
Only some minimal fluctuations in values (510%) are possible - due to the introduction of other fields according to the rules of crop rotation. We do not plan to update the line of varieties, we work mainly with the achievements of Dutch breeding (Riviera, Impala, Red Scarlett, Evolution, Arizona). The cultivation technology has already been worked out, the result is satisfactory, the product is in demand, so there are no reasons for change yet.
We do not feel great difficulties in preparing for spring. Prices, of course, have risen, but this is an annual problem. We try to purchase everything in advance, we make stocks before January.
Lyubov Telkova, Head
“FE Head of the Farm, Telkova Lyubov Sergeevna”, Tula Region
40 ha under potatoes
- The past season was not the most successful for our farm. The harvesting was very difficult, the weather conditions were bad, part of the harvest had to be harvested by hand, which, of course, resulted in additional costs and affected the production cost. But prices for "second bread" once again did not meet expectations. Now in our region, potatoes are sold at an average rate of 9 rubles / kg. This is very cheap, especially considering the size of the cost of fertilizers, plant protection products, fuel, etc.
Next season we plan to reduce the area under potatoes to half.
We will leave the former varieties: Gala, Vega, Sante, Nevsky are our priority.
Alexander Tsykunov, Head
KH "Ugorye", Pskov region
4 ha under potatoes
- Several years ago, I grew potatoes on 10 hectares, but high production costs and extremely low prices for the final product force us to reduce the area every year. In our region, there are generally few enterprises specializing in potato growing (a too laborious and expensive process with an unpredictable result), and in private households potatoes are almost never planted: it is cheaper and easier for people to buy them in a store.
I grow as much as I can sell, while I focus on quality. Now the harvest of 2018 has not yet been fully realized, but there is demand. I currently sell potatoes at 20 rubles / kg. I work with varieties Asterix and Red Scarlett.
I do not plan any changes in the new season.