A record harvest of grain crops is expected in the Vladimir region this fall. Already, 60 percent of the sown area has been harvested. 170 thousand tons were harvested, which is one and a half times more than a year earlier.
Representatives of the agricultural sector hope to exceed the gross grain harvest of 220 thousand tons, which is considered the best in recent years. At the same time, the quality of grain is good, 40 thousand tons will be used for food purposes.
But the situation with potatoes is worse. Due to the rains, the owners of subsidiary farms did not manage to plant it on time, and the harvest will be half as much.
- In agricultural organizations, the situation is simpler, there, thanks to special agricultural technology, it was possible to plant these potatoes at the optimal time, to save them from late blight. Probably everyone saw that at the beginning of July potatoes actually died from this disease on their private farms, they did not have time to form a crop, so we still expect a certain shortage of potatoes on the market, only because the population will have an increased demand for it, - said Director of the Regional Department of Agriculture Konstantin Demidov.
He also said that the harvesting of potatoes started earlier than usual and the yield is lower than last year.
- Now 12% of all areas have been harvested. The potatoes that are now being harvested are partially used for fresh consumption, but most of them are sent for processing, for chips, our Melenkovsky district has a clear industrial specialization in the production of potatoes - for chips.
Konstantin Demidov also added that the region will be able to cover the lack of its own potatoes at the expense of products coming from other regions. As for a significant increase in prices for potatoes, it is too early to talk about this, the director of the department believes.
- It will be clear when the mass harvesting of potatoes begins, and it will be clear what kind of harvest we will get.
The director of the department also added that the forecast for other vegetables is favorable, they are expected to collect 18 thousand tons, and last year there were 14 thousand tons.