Territory: 75 485 sq. M. km
Population: 5 people, including residents cities - 55,24%.
Geographical position: the region is located in the south of the European part of the Russian Federation, in the northwestern part of the North Caucasus. It is washed by the waters of the Azov and Black Seas.
Climate: temperate continental in most of the territory, on the Black Sea coast - from semi-dry Mediterranean to humid subtropical. The average temperature in the plains in January, the coldest month,
- from -3°С to -5°С, on the Black Sea coast - from 0°С to +6°С. The average temperature in July, the warmest month, is between 22°C and 24°C. In general, the region is characterized by hot summers and mild winters. The annual amount of precipitation is from 400 to 600 mm in the flat part, up to 3242 mm and more in the mountainous part. Climatic conditions are favorable for agriculture.
Relief: 2/3 of the region's territory is plains represented by the Kuban-Azov plain, the Kuban sloping plain and the Kuban river delta, 1/3 of the territory is occupied by foothills and mountains.
Soils: the main part of the soil cover of the steppe zone of the region is Ciscaucasian carbonate and leached chernozems. The Taman Peninsula is occupied by chestnut, Western Ciscaucasian bog soils. In the mountains - mountain-forest brown and soddy-calcareous soils, in the highlands - mountain-meadow soils. Agricultural land area: 3,9 million hectares.
The Krasnodar Territory is one of the leading regions of Russia in the production and processing of agricultural products. A wide range of crops is grown here, including potatoes.
Having occupied their niche in the food market, local potato growers demonstrate stable performance. Early Krasnodar potatoes are a brand of the region and are very popular among the residents of our country.
PRIORITY - EARLY POTATOES
The production of early potatoes in the Krasnodar Territory reached an industrial scale in the 2000s. Notable results in this direction have been achieved thanks to the active farming movement.
Today, there are more than 14 peasant (farmer) households in the region, many of which set aside part of their farmland for potatoes.
Peasant farms and agricultural enterprises grow mainly early varieties for the sale of the harvest in June-July outside the region. With the onset of autumn, mass delivery of food and seed potatoes to the Kuban from other regions of Russia begins.
Most of the potato producers work in the Kalininsky and Timashevsky regions of the region. Among the large farms specializing in the cultivation of crops, one can single out Selkhoz-Galan LLC, KFH Onishchenko V.I., Plemzavod LLC
"Friendship". According to Rosstat, the area planted with Kuban potatoes in the organized sector in the period from 2018 to 2022 ranged from 5 to 6,5 thousand hectares. During this period, excluding the results of the current year, the maximum volume of gross potato harvest was reached in 2021 - 129,9 thousand tons.
Potato planting area in the organized sector, thousand ha
2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
6,5 | 5,6 | 5,0 | 5,6 | 6,0 |
Gross harvest of potatoes in the organized sector, thousand tons
2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 (preview) |
109, 9 | 102,8 | 100,04 | 129,9 | No data |
Potato yield indicators in the organized sector, c/ha
2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
168,5 | 177,6 | 190,0 | 219,9 | No data |
climate trap
Although the region is considered favorable for agricultural production, the cultivation of potatoes on its lands is associated with certain difficulties. High temperatures in spring and summer, characteristic of the Kuban, have a depressing effect on potatoes. In hot and dry weather, when the air heats up to 35°C, the development of tubers stops, and their mass does not grow. Even in irrigated fields, the crop is under constant stress, resulting in reduced yields. As a result, local potato growers cannot compete in terms of production volumes with farmers in central Russia.
The situation is aggravated by climatic anomalies, which the nature of the Kuban has not skimped on in recent years. Return frosts in the spring and the lack of rain in early summer, as in 2020, or prolonged downpours, as in 2021, can destroy all the plans of farmers. Having conscientiously worked the whole season and invested hundreds of thousands of rubles in planting potatoes, the peasants are forced to be content with a minimum profit.
In the current season, difficulties have increased again. Due to the political situation in the world and Western sanctions, prices have risen and there have been disruptions in the supply of fertilizers, seeds, plant protection products, fuel, machinery and spare parts.
STATE SUPPORT MEASURES
The Krasnodar Territory is one of the leaders in the country in terms of the amount of state support provided to the agricultural sector. Potato producers can claim reimbursement of part of the cost of potato production per 1 ha (the base subsidy rate is 14 rubles); for the purchase of elite seeds. Subsidies are also provided to reimburse part of the costs of irrigation and drainage measures. We are talking about the construction, reconstruction and technical re-equipment of irrigation and drainage systems for general and individual use and separately located hydraulic structures owned by farmers on the right of ownership or lease. The purchase of machines, installations, sprinkling and watering devices, pumping stations included in the consolidated estimate of the cost of construction, reconstruction and technical re-equipment is also subsidized.
Small business entities can additionally receive subsidies for carrying out agrotechnological work, increasing the level of environmental safety of production, and improving soil fertility and quality.
OWN BRAND
Back in the 1970s, early potatoes began to be massively cultivated in the Kuban, which, along with fruits and berries, has become a real brand of the region. And today the first young tubers come to the shops and markets of the country from here.
Over the past years, work has been carried out in the region to protect the place of origin of Krasnodar goods. Thus, the authorities are trying to defend the interests of local producers who suffer from the actions of unscrupulous competitors who pass off their products as Kuban ones. In 2019, Rospatent registered the geographical name "Kuban Early Potato". Its owner was the head of the KFH Sergey Tron from the Kalininsky district, specializing in the production of tubers. Demand for the now branded product remains consistently high both among consumers in the region itself and far beyond its borders.
Irina Berg