In January 2024, another business expedition took place, organized by our magazine with the support of the Potato Union and the POTATOES NEWS portal. This time, India has become a place of attraction for Russian industry specialists.
The travelers visited a country of contrasts, where high technology coexists with thousand-year-old traditions.
During the trip, the group found out that potatoes in India are grown primarily by small farms, where planting and harvesting are often done by hand. But the processing of the harvest is carried out by powerful modern enterprises that produce a huge volume of products.
Business tour participants visited the office of Technico Agri Sciences Limited, a company specializing in original and elite potato seed production. The Russians inspected the laboratory of the enterprise where healthy seed material is produced and received information about the most common crop varieties in the country.
The group was greatly interested in a short tour of Indian farms: Russian specialists were able to walk through the fields where seed and table potatoes are grown and look into local vegetable warehouses.
Our compatriots visited one of India's largest enterprises producing agricultural machinery. The Mahindra company is a recognized leader in tractor manufacturing and provides farmers with other necessary units.
At Natural Storage Solution Pvt. Ltd. (NSSPL), which develops industrial refrigeration systems, the Russians saw equipment for the production of frozen French fries and hashbrowns coming off assembly lines.
A tour of the University of Agricultural Sciences Bengaluru allowed us to learn about the main areas of research of the scientific organization, including climate change, biotechnology, precision agriculture, pre-breeding and others. Business tourists were taken through university laboratories and demonstration greenhouses.
At the production site of KF Biotech Pvt Ltd, dedicated to the production of seed potatoes and banana cultivation, travelers learned how the plant micropropagation laboratory works. Here the guests had the opportunity to compare Indian and Russian technologies for obtaining virus-free potato seed material.
The trip with the most intense business program left a lot of impressions. The participants of the Indian voyage willingly shared them with the magazine’s columnist.
Ekaterina Balashova, Head of the consulting agency "Northern Star", Krasnodar region:
– I went on this expedition as an agent for foreign economic activity. I was faced with the task of supporting trade transactions that its participants could conclude.
Managers and specialists of companies whose work is related to the potato business were interested in the prospects for purchasing seed material, processing equipment, finished products, as well as selling their own goods.
During the trip, we talked about the importance of following all legal procedures, the importance of documents accompanying the transaction, the features of their execution, and key points that should be given special attention.
I think my professional help was useful to other participants. And although no cooperation agreements were signed with the Indian side, Russian colleagues considered the possibilities of purchasing equipment and seed potatoes for the future, calculated the feasibility of such acquisitions and the associated costs.
The trip opened up new horizons for my business. The meetings with the heads of large concerns turned out to be very interesting and useful. World-famous companies such as Technico Agri Sciences Limited and Mahindra are active outside their countries. Contacts with the heads of their foreign trade departments who are interested in finding partners on the Russian market will allow us to expand cooperation between our countries in the near future.
Mikhail Michurin, Chief Agronomist of ZAO Samara-Solana, Samara Region:
– The purpose of my trip to India was to get acquainted with the potato growing industry of this country. I really wanted to know how they organize seed production and selection, and how chemical crop protection is organized. I was also interested in the possibility of concluding contracts for the supply of high reproduction seeds to Russia.
It immediately caught my eye that even in large, powerful potato growing enterprises there is a lot of manual labor. This is understandable, since India has no shortage of workers. But I still believe that mechanization and automation of agriculture significantly speeds up and improves all processes and helps improve the quality of products.
It came as a surprise to me that there are farms whose activities include the entire cycle of working with potatoes: from growing the crop in vitro to selling chips and fries. I have never seen anything like this here in Russia.
Thanks to the trip, we were able to learn a lot about the work of our Indian colleagues and the peculiarities of the development of local potato growing. But communication within our delegation turned out to be more than useful. I met interesting people who grow potatoes and met old good friends.
While in India, we constantly talked about Russian realities, argued about the problems of the industry and ways to solve them. We exchanged opinions on individual potato varieties and how they perform in different regions of Russia. We discussed the technology of crop production depending on its growing conditions.
This trip gave us a chance not only to work fruitfully and learn something, but also to have a good rest and “reboot.” And upon returning home, we begin the next season with new strength, new thoughts and ideas.
Olga Molyanova, manager of Molyanov Agro Group LLC (MAG), Samara region:
– The trip to India, in addition to work purposes, was aimed at enriching my cultural experience and expanding my personal horizons. And it was successful in all areas.
Going on the tour, I planned to study the methods and technologies of growing potatoes in an unfamiliar country. And I’ll say right away that what most impressed me was the variety of crop varieties grown here, the local characteristics and the technology of its production.
Unlike Russia, Indian agriculture consists mainly of small farmers who cultivate plots of land measuring less than four hectares. They harvest various crops 3-4 times a year.
This country has completely different climatic conditions, and the principle of territorial zoning applies in agriculture. Thus, in the northern regions, mainly seed material is produced, and potatoes grown in the western part of India are used for processing.
On the business expedition, I gained valuable experience interacting with Indian farmers and experts. I was able to see examples of successful innovation and adaptation of potato production to the proposed conditions.
Our delegation managed to visit many interesting places: fields, scientific and production sites, laboratories, and storage facilities. We saw with our own eyes the work of such renowned companies as Technico Agri Sciences Limited and Mahindra.
After their visit, the delegation members actively discussed what they saw and shared their impressions. And, of course, they argued about whether it was possible to apply the Indian experience in our country.
Denis Pavlyuk, head of a peasant (farm) enterprise, Novgorod region:
– It was an excellent opportunity to visit a new country, combine a tourist trip with a work trip, and even in the company of professionals and like-minded people.
Previously, we have already worked with Technico Agri Sciences Limited and Mahindra, purchasing potato seed material from them. The collaboration lasted several years until we had our own mini-tuber production program. And while communicating on their territory, I saw Indians’ interest in business contacts.
My favorite visit was to the city of Bangalore, where the University of Agricultural Sciences and KF Biotech Pvt Ltd, a company engaged in growing potatoes and bananas, are located. As it turned out, similar technologies are used to produce such different crops, and it was surprising.
I became convinced that the Russian and Indian approaches to potato growing are largely similar. But in our country this business is conducted on a different scale: by larger farms, over vast areas. And in the local fields we did not meet a single tractor with a power of more than 100 horsepower, and manual labor was used everywhere.
We also saw technologies that were strikingly different from ours. In addition to standard vegetable storage facilities similar to those in Russia, primitive-looking multi-story buildings “equipped” with wooden floors and shelves are common in India.
I was really interested in local production of equipment for freezing, frying and processing potatoes, as well as warehouse equipment. When the question arises about purchasing such a line for our farm, perhaps we will consider India as a potential supplier.
Roman Yatsumira, Director of Foreign Economic Activity LLC "ChemAgro", trademark BINOM, Krasnodar region:
– The business expedition to India attracted me with the opportunity to communicate with professionals in the potato industry. The country itself was of great interest, as well as the prospects for entering the Indian market with our company’s drugs.
In addition to participating in the main business program, I also had meetings on an individual schedule. Together with the delegation, he visited large agribusiness enterprises and farms, and also held negotiations with fertilizer manufacturers, distribution companies of plant protection products and fertilizers.
On the trip I learned a lot of interesting and even unusual things. In India, they use original technological and technical solutions, and they have a different approach to growing and storing potato seed material for processing.
The methods of work of local farmers, at first glance, are simple, but in fact effective. It is indicative how they arrange their vegetable storage facilities. This example shows that in small enterprises not all processes need to be complicated; in some cases, simplicity is only beneficial. The professional level of Indian farmers is quite high, and the results of their work that we saw in the fields confirm this.
In recent months I have visited four countries in the Middle East and Asia. I think that now the East is becoming a promising direction for Russia for establishing business ties and developing interaction in the agricultural business. The Asian market promises us a great future; we need to rely on it and build long-term relationships here.
I am very grateful to the organizers for the high level and thoughtful approach to the trip, for such a rich program. It was extremely interesting for me to hear the statements of my Russian colleagues on current issues of potato growing and to find out their opinions on the level of agricultural production in India. And communication with representatives of agricultural companies in this country gave us the opportunity to broaden our horizons, gain new experience, and exchange knowledge.
Vasily Belenky, seed agronomist at Vi Fry LLC, Lipetsk region:
– This tour managed to combine an exciting journey and a rich business program. The expedition participants enjoyed the South Asian exotica and were able to evaluate the level of Indian potato growing: from basic seed production to processing.
Everything we saw immediately correlated with what we were used to in Russia. Considering that India is one of the industry leaders, I wanted to determine my place in the potato world and understand what kind of future we should count on.
About five years ago, our company bought Indian mini-tubers grown using their classical technology, on coconut soil and in an aeroponic system. But in recent years, domestic potato growing has moved far forward, and we have met 95% of our seed needs using Russian material.
I personally admired the fact that Indian factories are equipped with their own production lines of acceptable quality. We also need to strive for this, because until now the lion’s share of equipment, machines, components, and reagents is delivered to Russia from the West.
As for high-tech storage facilities, the issue of equipping them is also resolved through the internal product. While we continue to import all the engineering stuff, Indians make do on their own. They do not depend on supplies from abroad, organize their production in a short time and save significant money. I think industrially they have become much stronger than us.
But we have our advantages, first of all - climatic conditions, vast territories and fertile soils, which provide opportunities for growth and investment. And the Russian scientific base, it seems to me, is now presented more adequately. How many new varieties of various crops are being created by breeders, and many of them pose serious competition to Western ones.
Nadezhda Grigorieva, Chief Accountant Molyanov Agro Group LLC (“MAG”), Samara region:
– The trip to India made a great impression on me. The organization of the trip itself and the business tour carried out within its framework is worthy of the highest praise.
Everywhere we visited, such as the Bangalore University of Agricultural Sciences, we were told about the work being done there. Demonstration of achievements, laboratories, equipment, and storage facilities was mandatory. Even the coverage of the features of agronomic processes, to which I have an indirect connection, was truly fascinating.
During my acquaintance with the potato business, literally everything surprised me! In this country they do not cultivate large areas of land like ours. An Indian farmer can cultivate a plot the size of a 25-meter room and successfully grow potatoes in it. At the expense of the crop, he feeds himself or delivers the harvest to a special distribution point.
Local farmers use mainly manual labor and use simple agricultural tools. The vegetable storage facilities of most Indian farmers are equipped only with wooden shelves and ladders. They lift heavy nets with tubers on their own heads, without resorting to the help of technical means.
It is amazing that Indians who work on the land manage to develop agriculture without investing much money in it. Moreover, to provide quality products not only to the end consumer, but also to a well-developed processing industry.
Irina Berg