Head of the Union of Potato and Vegetables Market Sergey Luplechin warned about the risk of potato deficiency in Russia. Experts’ surveyed by “ribbon” estimated such a probability and denied the main fears, concluded that the lack of one of the main vegetables in the country should not be expected.
Lupehin believes that two main factors can lead to a deficit: a reduction in cultivation in personal subsidiary farms and increased demand from the processing enterprises that have recently increased power. According to the Union of participants in the potato and vegetables market, this year a million tons of potatoes will be sent for processing, in the next – about 1.5 million. By 2026, this volume can reach three million tons.
According to Lupehin, the future deficit of potatoes will have to be replaced by imports. This year, he also increased – from last year’s 316.3 thousand tons to 548.9 thousand tons as of November 21.
only calm
Former agricultural minister Leonid Cold in a conversation with “Tape.ru” noted that he does not see the real threat to the occurrence of a potato deficiency in Russia. “Honestly, I can not quite understand what the Union of participants in the potato market and vegetables is based on. The fact is that now the beginning of December, and, in fact, all the agroprocessors who eventually end in the potato harvest, not even started , “noted the cold.” The yield of this year was smaller in the organized sector, in large farms, and decreased in personal subsidiary farms as a result of various adverse climatic conditions: somewhere it was hot, somewhere was wet, somewhere was not hot. And not wet, but cold. In principle, the crop was smaller, but it is not catastrophically low. “
According to him, the lack may well be leveled due to imports, mainly from Belarus and other neighboring countries. There is also an option with procurement in Egypt. “She’s [Egyptian potato], maybe not the best quality, but there was some reason in the balance sheet. Therefore, it is somehow strange about some shortage. There is no catastrophic fall of the harvest,” says specialist.
At the same time, the reasoning about the increased demand from the processing enterprises, the cold considers reasonable and eligible for existence. However, this state of affairs, according to him, is explained by the usual development of the market: “And this is no more and no less than a good stimulus for the development of potato production.”
“I understand that there were twice somewhere in the consumption of potatoes with a prominence, but, first of all, this means that part of the potato enters the market in the recycled form, and in the usual table version it is no longer claimed because Potato products appear. Secondly, this means that potato production should develop. According to the same laws, other agricultural sectors are developing, for example, grain production, “the former deputy minister notes.