Mikhail Tremasov, regional representative for the Siberian Federal District and the Far East, LLC "GRIMME-RUS"
Despite the harsh climatic conditions, crop production is well developed in the Novosibirsk region. The main areas in the region are allocated for the production of grain crops, but potatoes also found their place.
This culture is grown in every rural backyard. More than a dozen agricultural enterprises are engaged in the industrial production of potatoes. The achievement of high results is facilitated by the use of advanced technologies and modern equipment supplied by both domestic manufacturers and foreign partners from European countries and America.
It should be noted that the last two years the market situation has remained unfavorable for potato producers. Prices for products are at a very low level, storage costs are growing, and the traditional distribution channel to the Central Asian republics practically does not work. Against this background, many agricultural enterprises began to reduce the area of cultivation, or even completely close production.
The first to be hit were small farms, as well as those that had a narrow specialization. Suffice it to say that this year potatoes were not planted until recently by the largest potato farm in the region - JSC "Yemelyanovskiy"cultivating more than 500 hectares.
It is difficult to talk about the prospects: a significant volume of potatoes produced in the region is of low quality (a consequence of non-compliance with agricultural technology, the use of outdated equipment that does not meet modern requirements).
A small percentage of the output is received for processing, which also does not contribute to an increase in product prices. But agricultural producers are pinning their hopes on the arrival of PepsiCo in the Novosibirsk region.
On February 15, 2019 in Sochi, during the Russian Investment Forum, the Governor of the Novosibirsk Region Andrey Travnikov and the President of PepsiCo in Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, the Caucasus and Central Asia, Neil Starrock, signed an agreement on the construction of a snack production plant in Novosibirsk.
The new venture will produce Lays-branded chips. We are talking about the processing of 250300 million tons of potatoes, which, according to local agricultural producers, can significantly affect the economy of their enterprises, the further technical development of farms and, possibly, return to the industry those who have given up potato production.
Today the farm No. 1 for the production of potatoes in the Novosibirsk region can rightfully be called SPH "Yarkovskoe". The stable position of the economy is ensured by the well-coordinated work of the entire team, which is led by a talented business executive Gleb Aleksandrovich Popovtsev.
"Yarkovskoye" has 10 hectares of sown areas, where 000 hectares are allocated for potatoes. Advanced farming methods and the use of modern technology allow you to get a rich and high-quality harvest. Potatoes are stored in a newly built storage facility equipped with the latest technology, and annual expenditures on agricultural machinery and equipment in the amount of tens of millions of rubles on the farm are called investments in the future of the enterprise.
According to the executive director of the farm, Vladimir Robertovich Koenig, SPH “Yarkovskoe” is also increasing the production of vegetables - carrots, onions and cabbage, because the people working at the enterprise know how to grow high-quality products that are in demand on the market.
A significant place in the production of vegetables in the Novosibirsk region is LLC "OPKH" DARY ORDYNSKA "in which potatoes, carrots and beets are cultivated on an area of 300 hectares. The head of the enterprise, Shakir Suleimanov, is an open, very positive and oriental hospitable person. The products of this enterprise can always be found on the shelves of Novosibirsk chain stores.
Another vegetable growing farm is located very close to the Koltsovo science town - LLC "Giant's Gardens". For a long time it has been headed by Elena Nikolaevna Polupanova. The main specialization of the enterprise is the production of greenhouse vegetables, but the farm also cultivates potatoes (on an area of 130 ha) and grows carrots (40 ha). Products are supplied to retail chains of Novosibirsk and its satellite cities.
A distinctive feature of Giganta Gardens LLC is a well-groomed area, where exceptional order reigns. One gets the impression that all work processes in the farm are perfectly debugged and everything is going according to a long-planned plan.
On the territory of the village of Priobsky, he has been growing vegetables in open and closed ground for more than 20 years Priobskoye CJSC... The director of the enterprise is Viktor Petrovich Becker.
More than five thousand tons of fresh vegetables are produced here every year. The grown products are sold to wholesale buyers, supplied to government agencies, and some are supplied to the stores of retail chains in Novosibirsk.
The farm has its own irrigated fields, greenhouses, modern agricultural machinery, a fleet of vehicles, warehouses, vegetable stores, equipped with modern climatic equipment. All this provides a full production cycle: growing, storage, shipment and delivery of products.
Priobskoye CJSC has been awarded numerous diplomas and medals at exhibitions, competitions and fairs. The company makes every effort to improve labor efficiency and competitiveness in the market, works to increase production volumes to meet the ever-increasing needs of society for fresh vegetable products. The main task is to justify consumer confidence.
The story about the potato-growing enterprises of the Novosibirsk region could be continued, but, unfortunately, some farmers are losing interest in the culture and are reducing potato production.
For example, in KFH "Leonidov" this year, the cultivation area was reduced from 200 hectares to 120 hectares. The reasons are the low price of products for several seasons and difficulties in marketing the crop. But there is hope that the current situation is a temporary phenomenon, and the experience gained by the enterprise will still be in demand.
Siberian potato growers expect 2021 to be a turning point for the region, and potatoes will once again become a highly profitable crop. These expectations are primarily related to the construction and launch of PepsiCo's potato chips plant. Processing should help the potato industry to survive.