Altai Territory is deservedly considered the breadbasket of Siberia. The region is the largest grain producer in the Russian Federation and has high potential in the field of agricultural production.
The total area of agricultural land is 11,6 million hectares, including agricultural land - 10,6 million hectares, of which arable land - 6,5 million hectares - is the largest arable land among the regions of the Russian Federation.
We are the first in the country for sowing spring wheat, buckwheat, oats, rapeseed and flax. Although the average yield of these crops in the region is not the highest. This is again explained by the huge area of agricultural land. There are seven soil and climatic zones in the region, ranging from the arid Kulundinskaya steppe, where wheat productivity of 10 centners per hectare is welcome, and ending with the fertile foothills, where farmers harvest 4-5 times more from the fields.
The variety of soil and climatic conditions allows you to grow a large set of crops in the region. The main directions in crop production are grain production, feed production, oilseeds and other crops. Developed industrial gardening, vegetable growing. In the total volume of agricultural products sold, the share of crop production is about 45%.
The sown area of agricultural crops in all categories of farms annually occupies 5,1-5,5 million hectares, including grain and leguminous crops - up to 3,8 million hectares. In 2018, for the first time, oilseed sowing areas in the region reached 1 million hectares. In terms of grain production, and primarily high-quality wheat, the region is among the top five regions of the country, and the Altai grain field is the largest in Russia. A third of the total Siberian grain is produced here. In 2018, the gross grain harvest in the Altai Territory amounted to 5,355 million tons.
Winter and spring crops are grown in the region. The share of spring crops is 96% of the total sown area of cereals, winter crops (wheat and rye) - 4%. Altai Krai is the largest producer of sunflower oilseeds in the Siberian Federal District, accounting for 98% of production. In 2018, it produced 673 thousand tons. The available capacities allow us to process almost the entire volume of raw materials into oil. The main areas of sunflower sowing are concentrated in the areas of Kulundinskaya and Rubtsovsko-Aleyskaya steppe.
Altai scientists provide scientific support for the cultivation of this crop in Altai. In the Altai Territory, such a valuable oilseed crop as spring rape is grown. Rapeseed significantly exceeds many agricultural crops in terms of food and feed benefits. Its seeds contain more than 45% oil and about 30% protein. From the Urals to the Far East, Altai Krai is the only region producing sugar beets. Despite the complexity of cultivating it, it remains one of the highly profitable and economically attractive crops for agricultural producers. In the eastern and foothill zones of the Altai Territory, buckwheat has become one of the most cost-effective. 40-50% of the total Russian production of buckwheat is the share of Altai Krai.
In 2018, it was received in the region 556 thousand tons. The climatic conditions of the region make it possible to cultivate potatoes and vegetables. Every year in all categories of farms, 500-600 thousand tons of potatoes and about 150 thousand tons of vegetables are produced, which allows not only to fully provide the region with the necessary volumes, but also to supply significant quantities of potatoes and vegetable products outside the region. Horticulture is also developed in the Altai Territory.
The main producers of fruit and berry products are households. 12,3 thousand hectares are planted; they annually receive up to 18 thousand tons of fruit and berry products. The most promising direction for the development of the industry is the cultivation of sea buckthorn. In the structure of plantations, it occupies about 80% of all areas. The volumes of sea-buckthorn products are also significant - a concentrate of sea-buckthorn oil, 75% of which is produced in Altai.
Source: http://www.ap22.ru/