The most effective form of integration of the various components of the development of the region, which allows to use all available resources and take advantage of the territory, as well as achieve the necessary level of food independence, is a cluster.
Nikolay Smirnov, Senior Lecturer of the Department "Maintenance, Organization of Transportation and Management in Transport", State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education "Nizhny Novgorod State Engineering and Economic University"
Potato growing is one of the largest branches of agriculture in Russia, which plays a huge role in the stable supply of food to the country. The state of the potato-growing subcomplex and the position of potatoes on the food market are accepted in world practice as the main indicators of food security, therefore, the importance of potatoes in the economy of any state can hardly be overestimated.
ПThe process of potato production is an interconnected unity of technology, technology, organization and management. Production technology is characterized by a certain ratio of the costs of production resources per unit of product being created. The technology that provides the best results, inherent in the optimal ratio and level of factors of production, a certain technical base and organization of production.
In this article we will try to isolate and systematize the factors affecting the efficiency of potato production (Fig. 1).
In modern conditions, every business entity is constantly forced to seek and use the available reserves to increase the economic efficiency of production. Moreover, it is of great importance that it is the proper organization of work to find reserves and analyze existing production factors, based on both domestic and international experience.
To date, in potato growing, as in other industries, there are economic conditions in which each enterprise must constantly monitor the level of competitive advantages of its products in order to ensure a stable position in the sales market. The experience of the leading world powers shows that the most effective form of integration of various components of the development of the region, which makes it possible to use all available resources and use the advantages of the territory, as well as achieve the required level of food independence, is a cluster.
With this form of integration of economic entities, the so-called "internal" competition arises, which contributes to the continuous improvement of the quality of products for both final and intermediate consumption. At the same time, clusters make it possible to increase the competitive advantages of their organizations, intensify the use of innovative technologies, reduce transaction costs, develop and strengthen relations between the spheres of production, science, education, government and public organizations that provide informal connections between all cluster participants and potato consumers .
The formation of effectively interacting and interconnected structures in a certain territory has been known since the time of handicraft production, in this regard, the existence of a cluster as an object of economic agglomeration has been proven by time. At the present time, it is generally recognized that the regions in whose territories clusters operate acquire leadership status and have a significant impact on the competitiveness of manufactured products.
Based on the study of works on clusters, the following significant factors that are crucial in creating such an association can be distinguished: location, level of production specialization, number of cluster participants (business entities), level of competition within the association, cluster life cycle and its main purpose ( tasks), innovative and social activity. With a competent combination, these factors provide a synergistic effect, which in quantitative and qualitative terms exceeds the simple summation of the effects of the separate activities of each element (economy).
Studying the experience of functioning cluster formations in potato growing, researchers pay attention to a list of features that must be taken into account when further considering this issue.
The business associated with the production and sale of potatoes includes a number of crucial stages, including: providing a seed base, growing, organizing storage and much more, which determines the complex hierarchical structure of a possible cluster. Potentially possible participants in the regional potato cluster may be: seed farms; research institutions involved in the study of potato problems; educational institutions of various levels and areas of training; government representatives represented by the regional administration and district administrations; potato producers themselves, providing the necessary volume of products of various fractions and capable of storing it; processing enterprises (primary deep processing); representatives of retail chains; transport organizations, etc.
It is logical to assume that the initiators of the creation of the cluster should be, first of all, government bodies that are ready to provide the necessary support to producers. However, it should be noted that a cluster in its original essence cannot be created by administrative means, which is confirmed by numerous world examples. Clusters are organized only when objective prerequisites arise that determine the economic feasibility of deepening economic ties between potato farms and developing a common production and information infrastructure. At the regional level, this kind of association will look as follows (Fig. 2).
In the proposed model, the basic "element" is specialized potato farming. Auxiliary - the International Innovative Information and Consulting Center for ensuring the implementation of the development of rural areas (having the scientific potential and material and technical base necessary for the development of innovative technologies in potato growing). The possibilities of training highly qualified personnel and scientific and methodological support for the implementation of innovative approaches to the process of potato production were also taken into account. The process itself is supervised by the innovation and consulting center of the agro-industrial complex of the Nizhny Novgorod region.
Such a model (cluster) makes it possible to provide a different approach to the implementation of the scientific and production potential of the region and to reduce the laboriousness of the process of production of potatoes and their processed products, while increasing the level of production efficiency.
Given all the above features, we formulate the definition of a potato cluster.
Within the framework of the cluster, the interaction of structural elements is aimed at the exchange of information, innovations, production technologies and methods of selling potatoes. Also, joint use of infrastructure, advertising and marketing promotion of products, and training of highly qualified personnel in the amount necessary for the stable functioning of the enterprises included in the association are carried out. The main objective of the project cluster in potato growing is to increase business efficiency by strengthening cooperation between enterprises and the state.
To date, the creation of the first Russian potato (as well as the first agricultural) cluster is planned in the Yaroslavl region.
The Yaroslavl region has all the possibilities for organizing such an association: favorable climatic conditions for the cultivation of seed and table potatoes, well-developed infrastructure (taking into account the construction of a distribution center), and the availability of enhanced measures of state support for agricultural producers. It is assumed that the cluster will include 10 potato farms, a wholesale distribution center, research and educational institutions.
A similar kind of association is also forming in the Nizhny Novgorod region. The structure of this community includes several potato farms with similar sown areas and a common development strategy, namely: maximizing investments to get the best result. Schematically, this structure is presented in Fig. 3.
Important conditions for successful work, according to representatives of each farm, is to minimize the distance from the cultivation site to the object of storage and processing of potatoes, as well as the presence of each member of the association of high-performance modern technology.
The state takes an active position in supporting initiatives to create clusters: interest rates on loans are subsidized (part of the costs of creating and modernizing agricultural facilities, for the acquisition and rental (leasing) of machinery and equipment, including the development of energy-efficient and resource-saving technologies), and property benefits are granted and transport taxes, etc.
The necessary funds (subsidies) for the development of innovative and industrial clusters are allocated by the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Industry and Trade of Russia. Thanks to state support, the potato cluster can receive about 200 million rubles. It is worth noting that several regions of the Russian Federation have already implemented projects for the organization of clusters (in other sectors) and have demonstrated the positive results of the work of these associations.
The formation of territorial potato-growing clusters at the regional level is one of the most important conditions for increasing the competitive advantages of specialized agricultural enterprises and the intensification of mechanisms of public and private partnership. Of great importance is the organization and expansion of ties between potato farms, trading networks, research institutes, educational institutions, etc. Achieving this kind of interaction, taking into account all the necessary requirements and features of growing potatoes, the optimal ratio of all factors of production, can significantly increase the efficiency of production and achieve the required level of financial success of enterprises.