This year the potato crop in the region was not impressive: it was harvested 20 thousand tons less than last. The loss is very significant, but ...
First rains, then drought
The price of potatoes on the shelves is really alarming. If earlier at this time it was possible to buy it at 9-11 rubles per kilogram, now it is necessary to pay twice as much. And this is in the fall, when, by definition, the price of a product is minimal!
The main reason for the lower harvest than in previous years is the capricious summer. And all over the country. According to official data, 7 million 600 thousand tons of potatoes were dug in Russia last year, this year - 700 thousand tons less. From Siberia to the Urals, the plantations first dried up and then flooded. And in Central Russia, on the contrary: at first there were rains, and then the drought "cemented" the soil.
- The second half of the summer was dry. And for vegetables, as you know, the rain that has passed on time is better than any top dressing. So the harvest has failed, ”sighs Marina Chernykh, a resident of the potato village of Staroe Slavkino, Maloserdobinsky District. - They dug 1,5-2 times less than usual.
But it is the private traders who make the weather in the vegetable market. Of the 395 thousand tons of potatoes harvested in the region, about 90 percent was grown on private plots.
Garden technology
And what about large agricultural firms, where technology, not handicraft production, rules? In general, the harvest here turned out to be good. However, the gross potato production in such farms, not counting private owners, covers only half of the needs of the region's population.
Less than usual, due to the vagaries of the weather, they collected in LLC "Agrofirma" Razdolye "of the Penza region. This year, 215 hectares were allotted here for potatoes, with an average of 378 quintals raised from each. For small farms, the figure is excellent, but for this agricultural enterprise, where irrigation has been established and large resources are invested in agricultural technology, there is a reason to shrug.
But the CJSC "Bashmakovsky bread" of the Belinsky district is happy with the harvest. Here, on an area of 400 hectares, special, chips, potato varieties are grown, which turned out to be more resistant. The average yield was 460 centners.
Now empty, now thick
And one more factor. The cheapness of potatoes in recent years, associated with its overproduction, has played a cruel joke on us. This season, some of the farms either abandoned its cultivation or reduced crops.
This is, for example, LLC "Scanov" in the Narovchatsky region, which annually produced up to a thousand tons of tubers. Many potato growers of the Kamensk region, once the potato capital of the Sursk region, closed their activities, switching to sugar beets.
Of course, the potatoes harvested in the fields of the region are enough to feed us. However, the price is formed by the market, and this year it has dropped noticeably. The manufacturer will sell products where there is an increased demand for them and offer a good price. Potatoes will not disappear from Penza counters. But it looks like the price will unpleasantly surprise in winter.
However, the situation may change dramatically next year. The shortage and price increase will once again spur the farms to potato production.