Leading foreign and Russian enterprises took part in the industry exhibition “Potato-2012”, which was held from February 16 to 17 on the territory of the Interregional Trade and Exhibition Center in Cheboksary. Traditionally, the focus was on innovative products and developments that contribute to the effective development of the industry.
The exhibition was organized by the state-owned unitary enterprise of the Chuvash Republic "Agro-Innovations", the Ministry of Agriculture of the Chuvash Republic and the A.G. Lorkh All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Potato Farming. The event was held with the assistance of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation.
"Potato-2012" is a meeting place for lovers of "second bread" and all the best in potato growing: scientific knowledge, material and technical resources, consultations ... Here you will certainly become a witness to the conclusion of contracts, you have the opportunity to communicate with top managers of leading Russian and foreign companies and find answers to many questions. True, to implement all this, it takes not two days, but at least three. And this was noted by many exhibitors.
Geography of visitors to the "Potato" exhibition: Moscow and the Moscow region, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Yaroslavl, Kazan, Lipetsk, Penza, Samara, Sverdlovsk, Tyumen, Vladimir and Tula regions and many others. Over two days, the exposition was visited by over 9000 specialists from 26 regions and 5 foreign countries - the USA, Germany, Holland, the Republic of Belarus and Kazakhstan. Important contracts have been concluded, the financial value of which is estimated at 390 million rubles.
Naturally, events of this magnitude cannot be organized without the support of official structures at all levels. Its presence was quite clearly felt during the opening of the exhibition.
The opening ceremony was started by the head of Chuvashia, Mikhail Ignatiev.
“Peasant farms of Chuvashia, which grow potatoes, introduce modern technologies and increase labor productivity. - said M. Ignatiev. - This helps them to compete in the market for the price and quality of the goods produced. The successful work of agricultural organizations provides decent wages to their workers and contributes to the development of the economy of the Chuvash Republic. I thank everyone who works in their native land. Happy Holidays - Potato Day in Chuvashia! "
Denis Paspekov, Deputy Director of the Department of Plant Growing, Chemicalization and Plant Protection of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, Head of the Interregional Coordination Council of the Volga Federal District, Deputy of the State Duma of Russia Sergey Kancher, Director of the All-Russian Potato Research Institute, greeted and addressed the exhibition and its organizers. A.G. Lorha Evgeny Simakov, the head of the city of Cheboksary Leonid Cherkesov.
Exhibition spaces for exhibitors were allotted to the maximum. Some of the new products and technical solutions for enterprises could be seen with their own eyes, but the latest could only be learned from the manager or from advertising materials.
On an area of 6000 sq. m with the participation of 76 exhibiting companies were presented means of small mechanization, irrigation systems, ventilation equipment, crop products (potato seeds, grain); fertilizers and plant protection products; greenhouses; covering and packing material - and this is not a complete list. Each stand was individual in its own way, each one attracted the attention of its visitor.
Among the great number of companies represented at the exhibition, of course, brands that were well-known to all were striking first of all.
Most of the space was occupied by the stand of ZAO Firma Avgust, the general sponsor of the exhibition. "August" is engaged in the development and introduction into production of new highly effective and high-quality drugs and its own formulations of pesticides. The managers of the company told the visitors of the expositions about their properties and advantages.
At the exhibition, everyone could get acquainted with the varieties of potatoes of Russian, Dutch, and Belarusian breeding. Visitors were interested in the origin of these varieties, their resistance to diseases, consumer qualities - digestibility, softness of tubers. Culinary dishes made with potatoes could be tasted nearby. And they, as the organizers later noted, are at least 700.
Foreign guests did not bring potatoes with them. Most of them presented technological developments. The German company presented equipment for processing vegetables. The Dutch company has a wider specialization - both processing and storage.
Anton Safronov, Director of Sales in Russia, the Dutch company "Kiremko”, Noted: “Unfortunately for Russia, Holland is yet to come. Because this country is agricultural, which has been breeding potatoes for a long time. ”
This year, communication at the exhibition has become even more professional. The participants were especially interested in the speeches of the director of the All-Russian Scientific Research Institute of Agriculture named after A.G. Lorch of the Russian Agricultural Academy E.A. Simakov, the general director of Agrotrade Company LLC S.V. Khavanov, the manager of corporate affairs of the companyMcCain”In Eastern Europe O.Yu. Lopyreva-Belyaeva, Director of the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution Research Institute“ Rainbow ”G.V. Olgarenko and other leading scientific workers of the industry and practitioners.
The Minister of Agriculture of the Chuvash Republic Sergey Pavlov took part in the plenary session of the Potato.
"Potatoes are the most important food crop of great importance in the nutrition of the population"- he noted in his opening speech to representatives of science and business. And he added: “Agricultural organizations and K (P) X produce more than 30% of all potatoes in the republic, while in Russia - about 20%. At the same time, there is a category of people with personal subsidiary plots who are engaged in potatoes and live only by selling them. In 2011, the area of potato planting in farms of all categories of the Chuvash Republic amounted to 49,4 thousand hectares, including in agricultural organizations and K (F) X - 17,1 thousand hectares. "Evgeny Simakov, Director of the Lorkh All-Russian Research Institute of Potato Farming of the Russian Agricultural Academy, spoke about the development strategy and scientific support of the potato industry in Russia. He noted that in 2011, the State Register of the Russian Federation included 284 varieties of potatoes, of which 165 are domestic varieties. This year, the organizers of the exhibition paid special attention to healthy nutrition and promising directions in the production of new generation potato products. Therefore, Evgeny Simakov did not ignore this topic and noted that at present, special dietary varieties of potatoes are being created for a healthy diet. Colored pulp varieties can be a good source of antioxidants such as carotenoids and polyphenols, which can help prevent both degenerative and age-related diseases. Varieties with bright yellow flesh are distinguished by a high concentration of the carotenoid zeaxanthin, which is involved in protecting human vision from macular dystrophy. Purple-fleshed potatoes are a source of anthocyanin, a natural pigment with high antioxidant potential.
Further, the participants exchanged experience at six round-table meetings, more than 30 reports were made by industry experts who made forecasts for the development of the potato industry in the coming years and voiced possible solutions to problems.
The conference was highly praised by specialists for the thematic content and format of the event. Work was in full swing in the meeting rooms and on the stands of exhibitors. The busy business program of the exhibition made it possible to create an active business environment for exhibitors and visitors, an effective platform for finding mechanisms and solutions aimed at developing the potato market.