«Starchy potatoes are the most profitable crop for our owners. ”
Company motto Lucky town, Sweden
In recent years, in the Russian agricultural sector there has been a surge in interest in growing wheat (in addition to corn) for processing into starch and other related products. Processing grain into starch has a number of features: the complexity of separation of components, the high cost of equipment, the need to refine and commercialize other, no less valuable components, in addition to starch, which, in turn, cannot be completely freed from protein.
What do Russian farmers think about such a traditional culture for us as potatoes? It seems difficult to them, even capricious in growing, and there is not much starch in it in comparison with the same corn or wheat.
In this regard, I would like to turn to the experience of companies that have long and successfully been operating on the potato field, namely, the experience of the Swedish company SSF, Sveriges Stärkelseproducenter Förening (better known as Lyckeby).
The company was founded in 1927 as a cooperative of farmers, uniting more than 800 participants. Today, it belongs to 600 farmers from the southeastern part of Sweden, of which about 400 are actively engaged in the cultivation of potatoes (on 8000 ha), and not just potatoes, but their technical varieties, with a starch content of about 20%.
What stimulates the farmer to grow the right amount of raw materials with the necessary quality?
The quota system adopted by the company clearly regulates who, how much and when should bring the raw materials, and to which of the plants. The farmer, who is also a shareholder, receives payment for imported potatoes according to the analysis (during which the starch content in tubers from the imported batch is compared with the base rate (19,5%)). If there is more starch - plus a bonus, if not enough, respectively, a deduction. At the end of the year, the farmer will also receive his share of the distributed profit, unless the meeting of shareholders decides to direct part or all of the funds for, for example, the technical re-equipment of one of the plants that now produce not only starch, but also potato protein, dietary fiber, as well as liquefied mineral fertilizer. Comparing this list with the above picture, it is clear that all the components of the tuber are disposed of.
The undoubted advantage of processing potatoes is the high value of its starch - this refers to the size of the grains, its inherent parameters of viscosity, whiteness and purity. All this makes potato starch indispensable in some applications.
What is Lyckeby doing, what cannot be transferred to Russian soil?
Is it not possible to create a cooperative, where each participant will have its own quota in proportion to his share, centrally purchase seed, introduce appropriate agricultural techniques and technologies? The yield of highly starchy potatoes (subject to all regulations) is at the level of 70-75 tons per hectare. In terms of starch, this figure will be higher than when growing corn or wheat ...
The problem is that our farmers are not ready to perceive potatoes only as raw materials for processing. Potatoes of table varieties are at the forefront, and either substandard or surplus is sent for processing. The starch content in such raw materials will be at the level of 10-13%, or even lower, and there is no need to talk about the economic profitability of production. If a farmer grows potatoes with a high starch content, they will try to sell it to retail chains in order to make a big profit. The Swedish farmer doesn’t even have such a thought, there potatoes grown according to technical regulations simply won’t get into the distribution network. Conclusion - we need an initiative, first of all at the legislative level, which would consolidate such a division as it was done in Europe. In the future, the ball will be on the side of our farmers ...