Investments in the potato industry will be profitable for two to three years, including in connection with government support in this sector. This point of view during the "Agrarian Forum of Russia", organized by the newspaper "Vedomosti", was expressed by the chairman of the Russian Potato Union Sergei Lupekhin.
“As for potatoes, I think this is a rather interesting topic for all future investors who would like to earn something. But this will not last long, two or three years. Whoever manages to enter this business, he will earn, who does not have time, he will get out of it, ”he said.
According to Sergey Lupekhin, this year all potato growers are happy about the price increase in the industry. “There was a sharp surge caused by a decrease in the volume of the harvest: there was a late sowing and a problematic harvest,” the expert explained.
According to the chairman of the Potato Union, if in the structure of potato production in the late 1990s - early 2000s, personal subsidiary plots (LPH) occupied a dominant position and 80% of potatoes were grown there, which amounted to 32 million tons, then in 2020 the structure changed ... “In 2020, there were 12,7 million tons of potatoes in private household plots, that is, over 20 years there was a decrease by 20 million tons - one million a year,” Lupekhin emphasized.
He added that large companies and small producers are actively moving into the processing segment. “They started to squeeze producers from the table potato market to the processing market, and the supply decreased, and the owners of private plots refused to plant potatoes and went to stores, and this also increased the demand. These factors plus the climate caused a sharp surge in prices, ”he concluded.
According to the expert, in 2022 the Ministry of Agriculture plans to support the development of potato growing. “This is due to the expansion of the potato business - the funds will be used to organize storage, to develop land reclamation, maybe there will even be motivation for the introduction of new areas. And now a lot of attention is paid to this, ”concluded Lupekhin.
