The potato crisis that broke out in the Sakhalin region at the end of June and provoked a serious increase in the cost of the "second bread" is practically behind us. This was told at a briefing organized by the regional ministry of trade and agriculture. By mid-July, the islands have already begun to harvest young tubers - thanks to the development of agricultural technology (and not at all because of the problems that have begun, Minister Inna Pavlenko noted), this year supplies to the retail network began a week earlier. Agrarians have already handed over about 3,8 tons of young potatoes for sale, and in the coming days, daily supplies should increase to 2 tons. The cost of the new crop product has been kept at last year's level - 60 rubles per kilogram.
Wholesale suppliers from outside the region are also catching up to this price level - to replace potatoes from Azerbaijan and Egypt, the price of which in wholesale reached 120 rubles per kilo, a more democratic Krasnodar product comes. The almost paralyzed China is slowly reviving - because of traffic jams on the ground, tubers in Primorye, which acts as a logistics center for the Far East, have to be delivered in a new way: in containers by sea. By mid-July, the price of "mainland" potatoes, regardless of citizenship, is also approaching 60-65 rubles per kilo.
- This heading worries and justifiably worries many. What happened to the potato market? Last year Sakhalin produced over 66 thousand tons of potatoes, which is about 97% self-sufficiency. Our farmers have saved the region from a serious increase in prices for vegetables and potatoes in the period from March to June, unlike other regions. We had a sufficient volume of products last year, and even with an outdated or insufficient technical base, our producers have learned to store potatoes. But this year, the supply of potatoes almost halved (from outside the island), the borders were closed, in April and May, products from China were not supplied, and the demand for their own goods increased. The supply has decreased, prices and costs have risen, even now the situation at checkpoints (in Primorye) has not yet improved. Suppliers had to deliver potatoes from Moscow, Novosibirsk. In the capital, potatoes were shipped for 45 rubles, delivery was 45 rubles, plus losses, plus a trade margin of 8-10%. So the price of 100-120 rubles for potatoes in retail developed, - Inna Pavlenko explained the price incidents of the last days.
The head of the Sakhalin division of the Rosselkhoznadzor Sergey Boyko added that the supply of potatoes from China to Russia has seriously decreased in general: in Primorye, for example, 22 thousand tons were delivered last year, and in half of this year - only 2,8 thousand. And on Sakhalin from abroad delivered one third less potatoes than usual, the first "Chinese" container on the island arrived only on July 14.
- I think that within a week two more ships in Primorye will come from China. Prices there have already dropped from 120 to 50-60 rubles in wholesale. And the reserves of this product will be enough for Primorye, Khabarovsk, and Sakhalin, - said the representative of the Rosselkhoznadzor.
Now we have managed to overcome key logistical bottlenecks (local suppliers have already managed to bring down delivery from Moscow to Sakhalin to 33 rubles) and find more affordable raw materials (Krasnodar potatoes are sold for 17 rubles in the capital). The collection of its own harvest is increasing. This means that a valuable food product will continue to fall in price until it reaches the traditional autumn price minimum.
It is not entirely clear how the region can insure itself against a repeat of the situation with rising prices next summer. As Inna Pavlenko noted, even today the island farmers are able to provide residents with potatoes until approximately June. The existing network of storages does not allow to keep it in warehouses longer, and also, added the representatives of the state farms "Yuzhno-Sakhalinsky" and "Teplichny" Nadezhda Moshentseva and Elena Butkova, common sense. No other region of the country tries to live for so long on the tubers of an old crop.
“We are making a project for a new climate-controlled storage facility that will allow us to store potatoes until August-September. We will launch it next year or in a year. But this is not an option - already at this time the population still needs fresh potatoes. Local or imported, - said Moshentseva.
That is, last year's harvest in any case should be replaced by a new one. In the conditions of Sakhalin and the Kuriles, it will not be possible to grow potatoes by this time, which means that the islands for at least two months a year will still depend on supplies from places where the sun and weather are somewhat better.