Potato processing plants must be built in the Amur Region. “Chips, flakes, starch, because you have a huge sales market across the Amur River - China,” says Sergey Lupekhin, the country's chief potato grower. Together with the delegation of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, he studied the possibilities of the Amur farmers for several days and is confident in the region's potential in the potato and vegetable sector. Governor Vasily Orlov noted: if farmers are interested in the proposal, the region will think about state support measures. Why french fries are made from special varieties, why the Amur region produces starch, and what kind of potato is best for the table and field - Amurskaya Pravda found out.
Root crops with views for export
The Amur region has been talking about how to encourage farmers to grow not only soybeans, but also potatoes and vegetables. In order to "lure" the farmers, the regional authorities offer support - for example, compensation for the construction of modern storage facilities, an additional payment for each new hectare for potatoes and vegetables. There is a result - this year the potato harvest has grown significantly compared to last year. But there is a downside to this success - with a large offer, according to the law of the market, the cost of production decreases. The consumer is happy, but the farmer is not so happy. It is no secret that farms want to earn money, and therefore they often wave their hand at potatoes, not having received the expected return.
However, the arrival of the delegation of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation became a kind of sensation for many farmers in the region. First of all, because, together with the officials, the chairman of the Union of Potato and Vegetable Market Participants Sergey Lupekhin spoke to the farmers. Sergey Nikolayevich is convinced that the Amur region has all the conditions to make potato growing profitable.
He himself is a businessman - his large agricultural holding includes several enterprises in the Moscow and Tula regions, including processing - a plant for the production of chips from his own grown potatoes.
— I have 6 hectares of potatoes and more than 1 hectares of borscht vegetables. In total, we have 000 thousand hectares of land. I headed the union, created 40 years ago, to establish communication between government and business. And during this time we managed to solve a lot of issues, - says the country's chief potato grower.
Seeds are grown in a test tube
The main problems that all farmers face in this direction are similar both in the west of the country and in our country. One of the difficulties is the seed material. For the Amur Region (and the entire Far East), this is also a topic of high costs, since the material has to be transported from the west of the country. According to the Union of Potato and Vegetable Market Participants, out of 800 thousand tons of potato seeds in the country, the bulk are domestic, more than 10 thousand tons are from abroad. They bring into the country, in fact, test tubes with material that is propagated, and it becomes seeds in 3-5 years.
In 2014, in response to sanctions, Russia imposed an embargo on the import of certain types of products, including potatoes, from a number of countries. This stimulated their own production, says Sergei Lupekhin, chairman of the Union of Potato and Vegetable Market Participants.
- Nothing happens quickly, if we are talking about increasing potato production in the Amur Region, then it is necessary to create the entire infrastructure. And above all, this is the creation of seed material, - says Sergey Lupekhin. “Now the logistics are difficult. It is necessary that on-site reproduction of potatoes from a test tube to the "elite" be organized in order to sell to local farmers. Thus, we will reduce the cost of seed material, - the potato grower outlined his vision. - That is, you need to start with a seed project, then you need to form a pool of farmers who are ready to grow certain varieties of potatoes, and everything should end with processing. An enterprise should appear in the region that will produce starch, potato chips, cereals. China is nearby - it is a huge sales market, and it needs Russian quality products. It needs an investor, and not just one. The horizon of this planning is 5-7 years. And you need to start now. Potato processing is a weak link in our country, since almost everything came to us from abroad. And this sector needs to be developed.
Feed the country with fresh potatoes and vegetables
This year, the Amur Region, like the whole country, has been tasked with increasing the production of potatoes and vegetables. On behalf of the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation Mikhail Mushustin, the Federal Ministry of Agriculture has developed a corresponding project for 2023-2025. It includes various measures to support those who will grow potatoes and vegetables in the open field. Director of the Department of Crop Production, Mechanization, Chemicalization and Plant Protection of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation Roman Nekrasov told Amur producers about this.
“China is nearby – it is a huge sales market, and it needs Russian quality products. An enterprise should appear in the region that will produce starch, potato chips, cereals.
- Russia should feed itself with fresh potatoes, tasty and affordable vegetables - such an instruction was given by the Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation. And the Russian Ministry of Agriculture has developed a federal project that will start working next year,” said Roman Vladimirovich. - The most difficult situation with potato growing is in the Far Eastern Federal District. The task ahead is to implement the instructions of the government and make the new document work. It provides for increased funding for the regions of the Far East, all activities for the production of potatoes and vegetables in open ground will go with a factor of two - that is, they will be doubled compared to the rest of the country. We already see from the draft federal budget that funding is increased by 30 percent. And these funds will go specifically to potato growing and vegetables, which means that we need to think about how to bring support to producers.
“Now we can help large holdings”
According to a representative of the Ministry of Agriculture, with regard to assistance from the federal center, there are a number of changes.
- Previously, support was extended only to small businesses, now we can help large holdings. In addition, the rate on the cost of building storage facilities has been increased to 25 percent (was 20 percent), Roman Nekrasov lists. - This year, a selection was carried out, and quite a lot of objects applied for this support measure. We understand what a farmer earns when he manages to save. In addition, now people running household plots will be able to receive budget funds if they are registered as self-employed.
Seed production will be supported separately.
- If our own center is created, we will reimburse 50 percent for the construction (now it is 25 percent). We believe that this is especially important for potatoes - it is very expensive to transport seed material from the western part of Russia for the Amur Region, we hope that an initiative will appear and such a center will be organized in the region, Nekrasov calculates. - Another change concerns land reclamation - now vegetable and potato projects receive priority in the selection for state support measures.
40 thousand tons of potatoes per year
Based on the tasks set, the specialists calculated the final goals of the project. Thus, according to the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, by 2030 the production of potatoes in the Far Eastern Federal District should increase to 275 thousand tons (now it is 211 thousand), and vegetables - up to 152 thousand tons (now - 105 thousand).
As for the Amur Region, its plan for the year is up to 40 tons of potatoes (in 2022, 30 tons were harvested) and 21 tons of vegetables (about 9 tons were grown this year).
In 2023, it is planned to allocate 27 million rubles of federal funds to the Amur region, according to the developed document. This amount does not include applications for the construction of new storage facilities and seed centers. At the same time, the region chose the "full option" - that is, any of the directions in the project will receive support if there are those who want to bring ideas to life.
We need to unite
The Amur government is confident that increasing the production of potatoes and vegetables, as well as bold processing projects, is quite within the power of the region, but joint efforts are needed.
- We want to earn - we need to think about processing. But if we are scattered, there will be no normal economy,” says Oleg Turkov, Deputy Chairman of the Regional Government, Minister of Agriculture of the Amur Region. - I am familiar with the largest processors, and there are plans to build an enterprise in our country similar to the plant in Lipetsk, which provides potatoes to the Vkusno - and that's the point network. The goal of the future enterprise is to feed Southeast Asia. The market is huge. There is a specific investor, he wants to try how potatoes grow in our country, next year - this is about 7 hectares of land for potatoes. These plans were discussed with the governor, and he supports them. If we implement it, everything will be serious.
“With the right organization, you are all future potato kings,” Sergey Lupekhin jokes, addressing the farmers.
I am ready to participate both with support and with the ruble in bold projects and the country's main potato grower.
“With the right organization, you are all future potato kings,” Sergey Lupekhin jokes, addressing the farmers. - We all live for today, but planning is needed. If there is a small production, for example, starch, the farmer will know that he has somewhere to sell surplus products, this will get rid of fear. This is not such a big investment if everyone unites, and I am ready to participate too. If we are talking about sales in networks, you need to meet and discuss in what form you supply potatoes for sale. Then you need to either buy equipment for packaging, or create a cooperative for sorting and packaging services. You need to learn how to stick together, if you need someone who will consolidate friendship - I'm ready. You can create a regional union or an association of potato growers in the region. I’m ready to show how it works - I’m waiting for my visit, - an experienced potato grower took the bull by the horns.
Take mini-tubers from neighbors
Aleksey Yemelyanov, director of the Federal Scientific Center for Agrobiotechnologies of the Far East named after A.K. Chaika, also suggested to Amur producers that they unite and solve problems together. The center located in Primorye is engaged in breeding, including potatoes.
In simple terms, potato propagation goes like this: microtubers are planted in a greenhouse, and mini-tubers are already obtained when harvesting. They are planted in the field, the first harvest is a "super-super elite". A year later, they get "super-elite", then "elite", after that - the first reproduction and the second reproduction. As experts explain, by purchasing seed potatoes "superelite" and "elite", it is possible to provide the economy with seeds for the next few years.
“Potatoes are a unique crop that is used not only for food, but also in the processing of petroleum products, tailoring, and the manufacture of medicines. And it is an export-oriented product. The world market for french fries is constantly not catching up with demand, and we need to focus on this demand.”
“There are few organizations in the Far East that are engaged in breeding at a decent world level,” notes Alexei Yemelyanov. — We carry out breeding for 19 crops and seed production for 50 varieties of these crops. All varieties go through healing procedures. We are engaged in reproduction - in Primorye, two zones suitable for this have been identified. This year, our institution has produced 60 tons of "super-super-elite" seeds. In 2021-2022, three varieties of potatoes have been created, they are undergoing variety trials. And they show good yields. Now we are working on the transition to the production of mini-tubers in containers. In 2022, we signed an agreement with DalGAU on scientific cooperation in the field of crop breeding. This is how we see it: next year, a nursery for agro-ecological testing of varieties of domestic and foreign selection will be laid at DalGAU. Further, the university or partner will lay the nursery of the "super-super-elite" - a plot of about 3 hectares is needed.
- You can create cooperation with this center. Take mini-tubers from them, and multiply on the spot, in the region. But for this it is necessary to define special zones - there are certain requirements for them, - Sergey Lupekhin notes. “If we create a semkhoz by joint efforts, we will solve the problem of potato seed production for the region.
It is clear from the reaction of the farmers that there are a lot of questions for an experienced potato grower with innovative proposals, and communication continued beyond the meeting.
Sergey Lupekhin: "We need laboratories and breakthroughs in science"
Amur potatoes are able to enter the french fries market, which is now being vacated due to world events, the country's chief potato grower believes. The demand is growing, but production does not cover it.
— The largest corporations in the world market of french fries wanted to develop in our country and planned to launch new lines, but now everything has changed, — Sergey Lupekhin talks about the prospects in processing. - The same chips - there is a major player and a lot of small ones on the market. As for potato flakes, this is an export product. Of these, for example, instant potatoes in packs are made. And the market is big - Africa is ready to consume. In flakes, as well as in starch, low-demand potatoes go. That is, those balances that were not realized in retail chains. Starch has huge potential! Even threads for surgical operations are made from it. For medical purposes, special varieties of potatoes are needed. Now even a variety of potatoes has been bred, from which transparent jelly is made. And when starch is added to the fabric, high-quality cotton is obtained.
The largest corporations in the global french fry market wanted to develop in Russia and planned to launch new lines.
The businessman also presented a layout for the most popular varieties in the country. Among them, by the way, there are no varieties of domestic selection. And there is an explanation for this, says Sergey Lupekhin.
“We don’t have a single variety that can be used to make french fries. In this production, varieties with a low sugar content are needed. In Russia, the industry was not sharpened for this. And the demand is huge in the world market, and it is growing,” the businessman states. - All our institutions were sharpened for personal subsidiary plots, where potatoes are harvested by hand. Of the many varieties in the register, not a single one is for commercial production. What is the main difference? A variety for production, that is, for harvesting equipment, must be plastic. I have repeatedly expressed my opinion on the Gala variety. It is good for powerful antiviral immunity. And this is the best market variety from the point of view of the consumer - the most bought. The most important quality is plasticity. This is what farmers need, because we know that when harvesting with machinery, potatoes suffer, and this leads to rotting.
The owner of Russia's largest plant for the production of organomineral fertilizers also came to the Amur region. The investor is considering the issue of building an enterprise here. Vasily Orlov noted that there are peat deposits in the region that can be used for the needs of the agro-industrial complex.
It's time for science to seriously think about what the market needs now, Sergey Nikolayevich believes.
- The climate is moving towards warmth, and potatoes do not grow at temperatures above 22 degrees. We are faced with the fact that in July-August it is hot - the potatoes do not grow, then it starts to rain, and the tuber inside "vomits" - the quality is lost. Science needs to come up with a stimulant so as not to put the potato metabolism to sleep. We need heat- and drought-resistant varieties - this is a trend already throughout Europe. We need proper and smart selection. If we want to make a breakthrough, we need personnel - not agronomists, but specialists for selection and seed production. It is necessary to light students' eyes so that they understand that this is the future, - the potato grower addressed the representatives of the Amur Agricultural University.
Maria Murashko