For several decades, Russian fields have been dominated by foreign varieties of agricultural crops. Onions are no exception, and farmers have already got used to the idea that foreign is the best.
Is this really so and do onion growers have a chance to wait for the revival of domestic selection?
Vladimir PAVLYUK, General Director of the Agroholding group of companies, answered the questions of the observer of our magazine.
- Vladimir Vladimirovich, why are Russian onion hybrids almost not represented on the market?
- In the early 1990s, any breeding work was stopped on the territory of our country. There are several scientific articles by our scientists devoted to research on the onion genome, but that was all.
At the same time, large global corporations entered the market with offers of various varieties of crops that have been cultivating our onion growers for three decades. Western companies do not stand still, they are actively building their business in Russia, investing in marketing and promotion of their products, offering their developments to Russian manufacturers.
Today, most of the onion enterprises work like a knurled one, and their leaders do not even want to hear about Russian selection. The opinion that all the best is in the West has been actively and for a long time cultivated, this is exactly what Russian employees of foreign companies repeat, and they, as you know, will not praise or recommend domestic varieties.
The final situation is as follows. Our farmers voluntarily send impressive funds abroad, due to which selection and seed production are actively developed there, and the wages of workers in the entire industry are growing. It is especially noteworthy that the purchase of imported seeds is subsidized by the state. That is, our state also stimulates the development of selection abroad.
Every year, the cost of imported seeds increases by 5%, regardless of the exchange rate, respectively, Russian agricultural producers pay for the increasing cost of living for foreign partners.
Onion imports to Russia, 2020-2022, thousand tons
ACCORDING TO OFFICIAL STATISTICS, THE PER CAPITA CONSUMPTION OF ONIONS IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION IS 17 KG PER YEAR. THIS INDICATOR IS 7KG EXCEEDING THE RATE OF CONSUMPTION RECOMMENDED BY THE RAMS NUTRITION INSTITUTE.
Profit from the sale of imported seeds is constantly growing. From the market, which has practically no domestic alternative, no one will voluntarily leave.
- Can we revive our selection?
– This process requires long-term efforts and solid investments. The complexity of onion breeding lies in the fact that it is a two-year-old crop, and you need to spend twice as much time on it. It takes about 10-20 years to get one hybrid, and then a number of production tests still need to be carried out. All these years, breeders must have a constant influx of funds for work.
In addition, the mere fact of the appearance of a new hybrid does not guarantee its advantages over those already on the market, as well as its payback. Do not forget that the hybrid will have to withstand fierce competition from foreign counterparts.
The situation is aggravated by the high cost of onion production, which makes the farmer extremely distrustful and not prone to experiments.
A farmer spends an average of 350 to 550 or more thousand rubles per hectare of an onion field per season, and the cost of his mistake may be the bankruptcy of the farm.
- Tell us about your work in this area.
– For 16 years, the Agroholding group of companies has been successfully engaged in the selection and seed production of onions.
To create a competitive hybrid, all areas of selection must be worked out at a very high level. For example, onions may have excellent commercial qualities, but be unstable to environmental conditions, and then they have no chance to gain a foothold in the market.
The payback of the costs of the breeding company, as well as the farmers who bought the seed material, is possible if the hybrids combine all the advantages of the crop. To achieve this, the closest cooperation between them is necessary.
Today we offer seed growers of seven of our hybrids. But in the near future, a significant expansion of the range and the occupation of additional market segments is expected. By the spring of next year, three new hybrids will appear, and in the spring of 2025 - 20 more. I think that each of them will be in demand by agricultural producers, because it was created based on their needs and requirements.
-What are the impressions of modern onion growers who compare domestic hybrids with foreign ones?
- If a domestic hybrid loses to a foreign one in some way, it has no chance in the market. Employees of representative offices of foreign companies will help onion growers to see all the shortcomings of such a hybrid and offer better ones - foreign ones.
Since domestic hybrids are bought by Russian onion growers, it means they are competitive. This can be confirmed by the heads of many farms where they are grown. Including in the Kuban, Stavropol, Kabardino-Balkaria, Dagestan, Saratov and Orenburg regions, where large areas of culture are traditionally cultivated.
The main advantage of domestic hybrids is that they were created specifically for the Russian market. That is, all work was carried out in conditions where the hybrid will grow. Therefore, it is better adapted to all natural and climatic conditions, in which it shows all its best properties.
– What do you think about the chances of our hybrids to occupy a significant part of the domestic market, and do they have export potential?
“According to our data, Russia produces about a million tons of onions a year. Taking into account the level of consumption of this product, it becomes clear that a significant share of it is imported from abroad.
A huge country with its richest land, water and human resources does not provide itself with onions, a strategic and one of the most popular food products. Although it could fully supply its population with it, and even send it for export. And if nothing is done, do not expand
own production, the volumes grown in Russia will gradually decrease.
There is another serious cause for concern. There is virtually no control over the use of drugs used to treat fields with crops in producing countries. Egypt, Turkey, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan have been the main suppliers of onions in recent years.
Checking the products coming from there is carried out only for the presence of active substances registered in the Russian Federation. But in these countries, plant protection products are used, which we have not undergone any registration.
And in continuation of the topic of export. It is especially interesting that trading networks, working with only a part of the producers, do not take into account the real balances in Russian storage facilities when they decide to supply imported onions to the country. In fact, retailers are depriving farmers of the opportunity to recoup their investments in storage and technology for growing onions for storage.
- What can you say to onion growers who do not yet believe in Russian hybrids?
- I am sure that in the very near future the vast majority will believe. After all, domestic onion hybrids show and will show excellent results, no less impressive than foreign ones.
I want to remind onion growers how important the choice of a particular hybrid and its intended use is for a successful result. You need to know in advance all its properties, weaknesses and strengths in order to choose the right place for the hybrid in the summer conveyor, in the field and in the warehouse.
Before growing onions, it is necessary not only to decide on a production strategy, but also to carefully study all issues related to the marketing of agricultural products. The most common mistake farmers make is confidence in the stability and immutability of the market. In order to have a profitable production, it is necessary to be ready for constant changes, take into account all market processes. And also - constantly study and count, count and learn.