On the eve of the new sowing season, the editors of the Potato System magazine conducted a traditional pre-spring survey. We asked farmers about the results of the ending season, the problems that are relevant for this year, and, of course, plans for the future.
Sergey Volkov, Head of SP GKFH Volkov S.V.,
Ivanovo region.
50 ha under potatoes
- In 2019, our farm received an excellent harvest of potatoes and vegetables (we also grow carrots, beets, cabbage). For vegetables, the yield increased to 60%. Weather conditions played a role: there was enough moisture.
But in the harvest years, prices in the market, as a rule, are not encouraging.
The most stable situation remains with potatoes: now (as of February 5 - from the editorship) we sell them at 8 rubles / kg, in autumn prices in our region were kept at the level of 6,5-7 rubles / kg, but there were potential buyers, who stated that they would like to purchase a batch at 5-5,5 rubles / kg. We have already sold the bulk of the product, now only the Scarb variety remains in the storage.
We also sell vegetables - at the prices that are on the market. Of course, they are much lower than last year, but there is no choice. Waiting for a better situation is not always a winning tactic, so we, as a rule, divide the entire volume of the harvest into batches, which we sell monthly until spring.
For example, we received 1,5 thousand tons of cabbage, and we sell 200 tons each month. The vegetable storehouse is equipped with refrigeration equipment, therefore we maintain quality at a high level.
In the new season, we plan to leave the area for vegetables at the same level, but we want to reduce the scale of potato production in favor of grain.
Sergey Bashmakov, Head of IP KFH S. Bashmakov,
Kemerovo region.
90 ha under potatoes
- 2019 was a fruitful year, we harvested a lot of potatoes, but we cannot sell it profitably: there is great competition in the market, overproduction has been noted in the region for several years. Now we are selling batches of 8-10 rubles / kg.
We grow varieties of German selection (Solana), as well as domestic ones - Tuleyevsky, Kemerovchanin, Tanay. We give priority to the fact that in our conditions they allow us to obtain a high quality product: smooth, visually attractive and tasty.
We do not plan to increase the area for potatoes in the new season. In recent years, production volumes have been growing, due to increased yields.
We conduct experiments on the use of fermented manure; in these areas in 2019 we received 550 c / ha. But in general, the economy is slowly moving towards the production of eco-friendly products, without the use of pesticides. Eco-potato is in demand in the region, there are requests from networks, there is an investor who is ready to help us in this matter. And the price of such a product is much more attractive in the market. In addition, we intend to supply eco-potatoes to school food factories so that our children receive healthy food. We supply equipment for washing, cleaning and vacuum packaging and we will work.
Vyacheslav Popov, head of the farm, Popova V.N.,
Yaroslavl region.
80 ha under potatoes
“In addition to potatoes, we grow cabbage, carrots, and beets. For each category, harvest volumes increased last year and sales prices fell.
We sell potatoes at 9-10 rubles / kg, and this is cheaper than in the same period last year. I know that in the region there are farms where they agree to 5-6 rubles / kg (if the quality of the products is low).
For some reason, white potatoes are more in demand in our region this year; red demand has fallen to a minimum.
Plans for the next season are indicative, but the question of increasing production is not even worth it. Most likely, we will reduce the area under potatoes. We will pay more attention to work on product quality.
We are not going to radically change varieties, but we want to add one new one to the familiar and well-established ones (Vega, Koroleva Anna).
Nikolay Popov, head of the farm "Hope",
Astrakhan region
100 ha under potatoes
- The whole point of the season for an agricultural producer is its successful implementation. In 2019, we started selling early potatoes at RUB 25 / kg. But this price lasted only two days, then fell daily by the ruble. We have already sold the last lots at 13 rubles / kg. I am now following the challenges farmers in our area are facing when trying to sell potatoes that have been deposited.
At least 8 thousand tons of product are listed on the balances, and objectively it is unlikely that it will be possible to find buyers for at least half of this volume. Prices are very low. Considering that in our region, growing potatoes requires serious expenses (without irrigation, for example, it is simply impossible to get a result, and you have to water at least 12 times per season), the farmers are preparing for spring in a tense atmosphere.
In the new season, noticeable changes in the economy are not planned, except for updating the varietal line. I always try to follow the appearance of promising varieties on the market, I start new ones every two years. The cultivation area on the farm has not changed for seven years, and this year will remain at the same level.
Victor Solenkov, Deputy General Director of Vesta LLC,
Tambov region
69 ha under potatoes
- We cannot complain about the 2019 harvest: we harvested more than in 2018. Of course, small problems were still noted during the season, but without them there are no problems in agriculture. In hot periods, drip irrigation was used, including, due to this, the quality of the product turned out to be high.
We sell now for 8-9 rubles / kg. The price is low, but objectively, if the potatoes were more expensive, there would be more competitors.
There are no problems with implementation, but we supply products mainly to regular customers.
In the 2020 season we will not increase the area. We plan to experiment only with varieties: we will introduce into the assortment those that are suitable for processing. The Belaya Dacha company’s french fries factory is located in the neighboring region, and we have been thinking about possible cooperation for several years. The company offers attractive conditions for farmers, we have heard about the positive experience from farmers, so there are all prerequisites to try. If everything works out, the production of varieties for fries can be moved to a separate business area, leaving the available space under the table product, but this is a matter of the future.