From magazine No. 4 2015
Category: Region
Territory of the region: 55,3 thousand km2.
Population: 618703 people, of which more than 70% are city residents.
Geographical position: The region is located in the north-west of the European part of the country, part of the North-Western Federal District.
Climate: temperate continental, close to maritime. It is characterized by excessive moisture, cool, long springs, cool summers, warm, long autumns, and mild winters. In winter, the region experiences cloudy weather with frequent thaws. In summer it often rains, usually short-term (12-17 days with rain per month). In autumn, cloudy weather prevails with prolonged fogs (12-14 days a month), precipitation mainly in the form of prolonged drizzling rains, in November more often in the form of sleet.
The average annual air temperature is +4,9°C. The highest relative air humidity is observed in the autumn-winter period, reaching a maximum of 88% in November-December. The average date of the last frost in spring is May 18, the first frost in autumn is September 18. The average duration of the frost-free period is 143 days.
During the growing season (175 days), 400-430 mm of precipitation falls (60% of the annual norm). Summer (the period with temperatures above +10°C) lasts 140 days. Stable snow cover is established by mid-December (the earliest date is November 11) and persists for 110-120 days.
Relief. In the west of the region there is a vast flat Priilmenskaya lowland, the height of which does not exceed 60-70 m above sea level. In the east there is the Valdai Upland with individual elevations with absolute heights of up to 300 m. Both of these parts are divided into separate areas with smaller relief forms. This is especially pronounced within the Valdai Upland.
Soils. The region is dominated by soddy-podzolic soils, often waterlogged to varying degrees. Their distinctive features are the small thickness of the arable horizon, high acidity, low content of nutrients and low humus content.
Agricultural land area: 10,8 thousand hectares.
The Novgorod region is one of the leaders in potato production in the Northwestern Federal District. The development of this area is facilitated by optimal soil and climatic conditions and proximity to large sales markets. Potato growing is considered the most profitable direction in the crop growing industry. Profitability ranges from 25 to 45%. It is natural that production volumes of commercial potatoes are growing every year. Let us recall that in 2000, only 160-180 thousand tons of “second bread” were grown in the Novgorod region. In 2015, agricultural producers in the region produced more than 368 thousand tons of potatoes, which is 20% more than last year’s results (including the gross harvest in agricultural organizations increased by 87%, in peasant farms - by 85%). Thus, for each resident of the Novgorod region this year there are 595 kg of potatoes, with the norm being 95 kg.
In general, potato production has increased 1,7 times over the past five years.
For the effective development of agriculture and increasing the financial stability of agricultural producers, government support is necessary. Measures of such support are provided within the framework of the State program of the Novgorod region “Development of the agro-industrial complex of the Novgorod region for 2014-2020” and the departmental target program “Development of potato growing and the creation of logistics (wholesale and distribution) centers for storage, pre-sale preparation and sale of potatoes, vegetables and fruits in the Novgorod region for 2014-2016." As part of these programs, agricultural producers in the region receive subsidies for the purchase and production of potato seeds, for the purchase of equipment for storage, pre-sale preparation and sale of potatoes, vegetables and fruits.
Seed production
The development of potato growing is impossible without high-quality seed material. Five farms producing seed potatoes have been created in the region. Nowadays, enterprises are actively developing. This year, the area under elite potato plantings has increased by 8% (compared to the 2014 level).
It is planned that these farms will produce more than 8 thousand tons of zoned high reproduction potato seeds.
The next stage in the development of potato seed production will be the creation of a laboratory for the production of potato seeds on a virus-free basis.
Infrastructure
For storage, pre-sale preparation and sale of potatoes, three logistics centers were built in the region (two in the Novgorod and one in the Borovichi districts), which can handle up to 45 thousand tons of potatoes. This makes it possible to provide the population of the region with quality products all year round, supply fresh potatoes to chain stores and sell them outside the region, which has a positive effect on the income of producers.
By the end of this year, new potato storage facilities with a total storage capacity of 5,1 thousand tons will be put into operation in the region. In 2016, it is planned to build two more potato storage facilities in the Soletsky and Shimsky districts with a total storage capacity of 30 thousand tons. Thus, the necessary prerequisites are created in the region to increase potato production.
Personnel
Three secondary vocational agricultural educational institutions and an Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources are successfully operating in the Novgorod region. They provide the region with qualified personnel. Every year, these educational institutions award diplomas to about 400 specialists of secondary vocational education and 50 - higher professional education, most graduates continue their professional activities in leading agricultural enterprises in the region.
Potato farms
The peasant farms of Ivan Geletey and Sergei Yakovlev from the Borovichi district demonstrate consistently good results; Anatoly Lipatov, Denis Pavlyuk, Ivan Pireev from the Novgorod region. The yield in them reaches 500 c/ha. High rates of potato cultivation are also achieved annually on the farms of Vladimir Kondranin, Arbi Kadyrov from the Shimsky district, and Nikolai Kolesnikov from the Soletsky district. The yield in these enterprises is fixed at the level of 250-280 c/ha.
New projects for potato production on newly introduced lands are also being implemented in the region. In the Volotovsky district, Novgorod Potato System LLC planted 100 hectares of potatoes this year, the yield was 300 c/ha. Next year the company plans to increase its planting area to 300 hectares. In the Soletsky district, Bristol LLC planted 460 hectares of potatoes, the yield was 350 c/ha. There are plans to increase the area to 1200 hectares. When reaching the design capacity, the volume of potato production will be 163 thousand tons.
Prospects
The main goal of the region in the field of agriculture is to achieve full provision of residents with food products that are produced on Novgorod soil. In this regard, the potato sector can serve as a model for others. The region is already completely self-sufficient in potatoes, although, of course, the results achieved are not the limit of possibilities.
The region has proposals for investment sites for the development of various areas, some of them are already in demand thanks to the favorable investment climate created in the region. All this will contribute to further growth in agricultural production. Next year we plan to produce 400 thousand tons of potatoes and are confident that this task is real and completely solvable.
The editors would like to thank the Department of Agriculture and Food of the Novgorod Region for preparing the material.