Territory of the region: 29,997 thousand km2.
Population: 1 117 378 people, of which 66,88% are city residents.
Geographical location: the region is located in the center of the European part of Russia, is part of the Central Federal District.
Climate: temperate continental, with warm and humid summers, relatively short and mild winters. The coldest month is January. The duration of the period with a positive average daily temperature is 235 days a year in the southwest and 220 days in the north and east of the region. The amount of precipitation is quite enough to ensure a high yield of agricultural crops. However, precipitation is highly unstable and unevenly distributed over the territory and over time. Droughts and dry winds are observed in some years.
Relief. The territory of the region lies on the southwestern slopes of the Central Russian Upland, the hilly surface of which is elevated 177-225 m above sea level and is strongly dissected by river valleys, many gullies and ravines.
The soil. Black soil prevails in the region (74% of the area), the rest is gray forest soils (light gray, gray and dark gray).
Agricultural land area: 2 146 thousand hectares, or 72% of all land in the region, arable land - 1 628 thousand hectares, or 54%.
The agricultural sector remains an important component of the economy of the Kursk region. A new, modern farming system based on the use of the most productive machines, resource-saving technologies, highly productive varieties of seeds and animal breeds has been built in the agro-industrial complex of the region.
Using this base rationally, the agro-industrial complex of the region not only firmly became one of the leaders of the Central Federal District in the cultivation of all the most important agricultural products, but also became one of its largest producers in the entire Russian Federation.
According to preliminary estimates, the production of gross agricultural products at enterprises of all categories in 2014 amounted to 99 billion rubles. Agricultural organizations account for 62,5 percent of agricultural output. The agricultural production index amounted to 113,7 percent, which is 5,9 percentage points more than planned.
In 2014, 944 thousand tons of potatoes and 142 thousand tons of vegetables were produced, which fully meets the needs of the region’s population in this production.
The increase in crop yields and gross harvests of crop products was obtained mainly through the use of modern technologies and the renewal of the machine and tractor fleet. In 2014, agricultural producers of the region purchased 302 new tractors, 118 grain and forage harvesters, as well as a number of other high-performance agricultural equipment worth 3,6 billion rubles.
Kursk region is one of the regions with traditional potato production. In terms of cultivation, this crop takes third place in the region after cereals and sugar beets. And in recent years, interest in potatoes from individual investment companies, agricultural enterprises, peasant (farmer) households has grown significantly. Such attention is due to the agrotechnical value of culture as a predecessor in crop rotation, as well as the high economic efficiency of production. According to the estimates of specialists of the committee of the agro-industrial complex of the region, potato growing is capable of giving profitability of up to 100 percent or more.
POTATO FARMS
ZAO Agrofirm South.
Since 2011, the Potato Project was launched. Today, the farm cultivates potatoes on an area of more than 300 hectares. The project provides for the organization of a full cycle of production, storage, pre-sale processing and shipment of potatoes to processing enterprises. Marketable and seed potatoes are grown.
LLC "Protective"
It is part of EkoNiva-APK, one of the largest producers of field crop seeds in Russia. Every year, agricultural companies receive up to 20 tons of certified seeds of cereals, legumes, perennial herbs and potatoes. Seed production includes varieties of Russian, Ukrainian, German, French, Scandinavian and Canadian breeding. Zashchitnoye LLC grows seed potatoes on an area of 000 hectares.
DEVELOPMENT PROSPECTS
The immediate task of the region's potato farms today is raising the yield. The main goal is to make the region one of the leaders in the region for the production and processing of an efficient and profitable culture, since there are all conditions for this. It is no coincidence that local lands are of great interest to foreign investors.
In June 2015, during the Central Russian Economic Forum in Kursk, the Chinese company Morn Group presented to the Government of the Kursk region a project for growing and processing potatoes with an investment of $ 20-25 million. Chinese experts plan to grow up to 7,5 thousand tons of potatoes per year on the Kursk black soil. Also, the Morn Group would like to build a starch plant in the Kursk region with a capacity of 1,2 thousand tons per year. Representatives of the company expect to receive the first results of this project by 2017.
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Vladimir Bychikhin - potato grower from the Kursk outback
Although this substantial amount is not a start-up capital, it helped the farmer to get on his feet more firmly, to bring his ideas to life. Several years ago he started out in a small field. Today Vladimir Bychikhin's potato plantation is more than 40 hectares. Ware potatoes grown by farmers are in great demand. How many times he took his potatoes to fairs in the regional center, so many times it was bought up instantly. Vladimir Bychikhin is sure that this year will not be an exception. And the state support was necessary for the farmer in order to pay for elite high-yielding seeds and to develop the economy further. |
Farmer Vladimir Bychikhin from Oboyanskiy district of Kursk region in 2013 received a subsidy of 1,2 million rubles for the development of his potato business. He became a participant in the target program "Support for novice farmers and the development of family livestock farms on the basis of peasant (private) farms for 2013-2015".
