Ludmila Dulskaya
Landing is getting closer, in farms - full combat readiness. With what mood do potato growers meet the season? Did you manage to purchase the necessary protective equipment and fertilizers? How are the spare parts? Word to agricultural producers.
Sergey Biketov, chief agronomist of CJSC "OKTYABRSKOE", Leningrad region
400 ha under potatoes
– CJSC Oktyabrskoye is one of the oldest farms in the Leningrad Region, has been engaged in potato seed production for more than a century. Our laboratory produces seed material of about 40 varieties of potatoes of domestic and foreign selection. We also grow cereals and rapeseed.
This year we are planting imported (Impala, Red Scarlett, Riviera and Sante) and domestic (Luck and Aurora) potato varieties. Last year we had 380 hectares under potatoes, this year we are increasing the area by 20 hectares.
There are technical difficulties. We paid for the supply of a self-propelled sprayer and imported tractors, but the supplier returned the money, there will be no deliveries in the near future. Well, we will switch to domestically produced tractors - RSM Rostselmash. There are no options.
We have everything ready for the beginning of the season in terms of fertilizers, protection products and pesticides. Contracts were concluded before the new year. Prices aren't all that bad. For example, we were recalculated the cost of urea downwards even after paying the advance. It remains to buy additional mineral fertilizers, and since the plant for their production is located nearby, in Veliky Novgorod, there will be no difficulties.
There is a large shortage of the pesticide Diquat. The drug is used for desiccation of potato tops before harvesting, partial destruction of weeds, and on rapeseed and cereals, in the conditions of the northwestern region - for drying the pod and ear. We managed to buy it for potatoes, but it may not be enough for rapeseed. In our region, heavy rains can go on for a long time, and it is unlikely that it will be possible to do without drying grain and rapeseed.
Potatoes this year will be planted by all and sundry. People are afraid of trouble, so they are preparing to plow lawns on their plots and plant potatoes. Farmers sold out the seeds of the first field generation in a day and a half.
The main difficulty is that snow lay on the fields of the Leningrad Region until mid-April. The sowing campaign has shifted, and it is not clear when it will begin.
Maxim Dmitriev, agronomist KH Geletey Ivan Ivanovich, Novgorod region
140 ha under potatoes
- This season KH Geletey I.I. does not increase crop area. We allocate 140 ha for potatoes, 20 ha for cabbage, 16 ha for beets and 3 ha for carrots.
If we talk about potatoes, we mostly prefer foreign varieties known on the market (Gala, Rosara, Impala, Colomba), but every year we also take two or three varieties of domestic selection for testing to check how they will work on our soils and in our weather conditions.
In the Novgorod region, four peasant farms, including ours, have the status of seed farms specializing in the cultivation of high potato reproductions. Therefore, we have no difficulties with seed material: we grow from test tubes for ourselves those varieties that are of interest to us.
Our farm bought almost all the necessary plant protection products and fertilizers back in autumn at very good prices. This season we will work with the preparations with which we planned to carry out treatments. Difficulties arose only with the purchase of urea and some other fertilizers. The main difficulty now is the innovation about quotas. We want to buy fertilizers, but the plant either does not have quotas for the region, or they have run out due to insufficient volume.
The situation with plant protection products today is such that even if the farm has the money and the desire to work with a specific imported drug, manufacturers cannot ensure its supply, many positions are in short supply. Other peasant farms in our region are experiencing great difficulties in this regard.
All the drugs we work with have risen in price by an average of 50%, some have doubled. Fertilizer prices have also skyrocketed. If we were now buying protective equipment and fertilizers, our costs would increase by about 60%.
What will happen in the future? I think that European companies trading in plant protection products will lose their leading positions in our market due to the high cost of drugs and difficulties with logistics and supplies. While their product is not available, farmers have to work with something. Most likely, agricultural producers will have to switch to more budgetary analog funds.
And a few words about technology. In our economy, great efforts are directed to the development, strengthening of the material and technical base, and the modernization of production. Preparing for this season, we ordered two foreign-made tractors, paid for them, but it is still not clear when we will receive them and whether we will receive them at all.
Now our farm is completely ready for work and provided with everything necessary. The main negative factor that we fear is weather conditions. There was a drought last summer - what if it happens again? We do not hope for forecasts, we will work in the circumstances that will develop.
От редакции: In April 2022, KH Geletey I.I. turns 30 years old. We congratulate the head of the farm Ivan Ivanovich Geletey and all the employees of the enterprise on their anniversary and wish them a successful season!
Alexander Torbunov, Head of KFH Torbunov, Chuvash Republic
50 ha under potatoes
– This season we are planting table potatoes, varieties Red Scarlett, Gala, Koroleva Anna, Colomba. The area was not reduced, left at the same level.
There are problems: chemistry, machinery, spare parts - everything has risen in price by about 20-30%. Our costs in preparation for the season, respectively, increased by the same amount.
Ahead of the main difficulty is the shipment of products. The cost of packaging has doubled. For example, a grid unit used to cost 6 rubles, the new price is 11 rubles. It's good that there are no problems with logistics - we work on a self-delivery basis, the demand for potatoes is stable.
Yury Subbotin, KFH IP Subbotin Yury Nikolaevich, Kursk region
200 ha under potatoes
– We have been producing table potatoes for more than 20 years, we also grow soybeans, wheat, and plans to grow rapeseed and pumpkin. Over the years, the farm has been modernized, new technologies have been introduced (in particular, a navigation system). Unfortunately, we are reducing the area under potatoes by 40 percent this year.
This is due, among other things, to the fact that in the current season we were unable to carry out fault detection of the packaging line. Potatoes need to be packaged to meet retail requirements. We sent an application for spare parts for our imported packaging equipment back in November, but the delivery time has not yet been announced to us. There is a high probability that we will not be able to launch the equipment by the required date. We will have to work in manual mode, but there are not enough workers - the farm is located in the border zone.
In addition, a net is needed to pack the potatoes. Now we are offered to purchase a package of 2000 nets for 21 rubles. Until March 000, its cost was 2022 rubles. The price has doubled. And we also need to buy labels and stickers... If the cost of packaging does not decrease, we will be forced to look for some alternative solutions for delivering potatoes to retail chains: perhaps we will send products in boxes or large bags.
Although it is too early to talk about packaging. Ahead is planting, this year we have given priority to imported varieties of potatoes: this Vega, Colomba, Bernina. Traditionally, we will plant Galu - in a small amount, since when there is a lack of moisture, it does not always give the desired result, and we do not have irrigation on the farm. But we consider this variety to be the standard for today in terms of taste. We also plan to test varieties of Belarusian selection - Breeze and Manifesto. Let's see how they show themselves on our heavy Kursk soils. I would like to work with Russian varieties, if they meet the requirements of the modern market.
A lot of problems are expected in the new season.
We have navigation systems, but this year it will be difficult to use them - the signals are blocked. Navigation equipment allows for the most accurate planting, which makes it possible to clearly carry out inter-row cultivation, reduce the percentage of green tubers. Without a navigation system, it will be more difficult to grow a quality crop.
Significantly increased the cost of mineral fertilizers and chemical means of protection. Since we purchased protective equipment before the new year, plus we still have stocks from the 2021 season, our peasant farm will not have any inconvenience with chemistry this season. But there are other difficulties.
Potato harvesting and vegetable growing equipment in our peasant farm is imported. After harvesting, we immediately begin to repair. The cost of repairing a potato harvester in November-December amounted to 1,2 million rubles, the price of digging knives for it increased two to three times during this time.
And nature is making its contribution: the start of the planting season has been postponed for the time being. In 2021, we planted spring wheat on March 29. This year, God forbid, before Easter, something to sow. Now we have (on 11.04 - from the editor) rain, cold and mud in the fields. Obviously, potatoes from the Kursk region will be sold later than usual.
On the other hand, no matter how the climatic situation develops in the regions, Russia is a big country, we will reap the harvest. The Russians will be provided with potatoes and vegetables.
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