Agriculture in the Sakhalin region in recent years has become the subject of not only increased concerns, but also pride. Neither the pandemic nor external sanctions could slow down the development of the industry. In three years, 200 farms have been opened on the islands, and measures to support farmers have become unprecedented.
Under the control of Governor Valery Limarenko, a stable system of support for the agro-industrial complex operates on the territory of Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands. The result was an increase in production volumes and assortment, strengthening the food independence of the island region. Andrei Rechkin, First Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Trade of the Sakhalin Region, told Sakha.online about the harvesting process and the harvest farmers expect in 2022, what new types of products are being produced, what trade formats are actively developing.
Photo: press service of the government of the Sakhalin region
- Andrey Ivanovich, to what extent is the Sakhalin region provided with its own products?
— Regional self-sufficiency with products of its own production is estimated quite high, while its level has been significantly increased for individual items in recent years. In comparison with other regions of the Far Eastern Federal District, today the Sakhalin Region has the highest availability of vegetables and chicken eggs of its own production — 66% and 91%, respectively. We provide 64% for milk, 22% for meat, 95% for potatoes, and these indicators correspond to the Russian Food Security Doctrine.
In recent years, enterprises for growing crops in the closed ground have been actively developing in the island region, which has determined the high level of self—sufficiency of the region with greenhouse vegetables: 100% of the region’s population is provided with cucumbers, tomatoes – 91%.
— Which areas of agriculture in the region are developing most intensively, due to what?
— In general, the entire agro-industrial complex is dynamically developing on the territory of the Sakhalin region: crop production, animal husbandry, as well as the food and processing industry. Over the past three years, more than 200 new peasant farms have appeared on the islands, the area of cultivated land has been increased by 20%. The system of state support of agricultural enterprises operating in the region, as well as through the implementation of large investment projects, helps island farmers to achieve high indicators.
For example, over three years, the amount of investments in agriculture in Sakhalin and the Kuriles amounted to 7.7 billion rubles with an annual increase of 1.3 billion rubles. Thus, in the field of animal husbandry, the first stage of the project for the construction of a livestock complex for 3,800 cows and the construction of a milk processing plant with a capacity of 120 tons per day has been implemented for 1,900 dairy cattle. The pig breeding complex for 62,000 heads has reached its design capacity. Now the reconstruction of the poultry farm “Ostrovnaya” is underway. It is one of the largest poultry farms in the country, is included in the rating of “300 best agricultural enterprises of Russia”.
In the field of crop production, greenhouse complexes with an area of 11.9 hectares and 0.93 hectares have been put into operation, which specialize in growing vegetables and seedlings. Moreover, it is planned to put into operation by the end of 2022 a greenhouse complex on 2.9 hectares in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. The first crop will be delivered to consumers in 2023.
About 140 names of new types of products are produced annually on the Sakhalin market. For example, over the past couple of years, sausage shops have opened in the northern regions of the region. We have resumed the production of our own ice cream, which has not been on Sakhalin for the last 20 years. Among the innovations, it is also possible to note the appearance of semi-smoked sausages and baby food products on the market. Carbon dioxide production has been organized for the production of carbonated beverages. Also this year, for the first time in the island region, industrial production of hard and semi-hard cheeses from local producers was launched.
— Are there any measures to support agricultural enterprises, how many such areas?
— It is no secret that the Sakhalin region belongs to unfavorable territories for the production of agricultural products. Therefore, the support of agricultural producers is one of the priorities of the work of Governor Valery Limarenko and the island government. A regional program has been adopted and is successfully operating for the development of the agro-industrial complex in the region. There is no similar scale in any subject of the Russian Federation. Its activities are aimed at supporting agriculture, the production of raw materials and food.
In the face of external pressure, the regional government has further strengthened regional measures to support the agricultural sector. For example, at the regional level, the volume of reimbursement for the purchase and delivery of mineral fertilizers has been increased from 30% to 50%, for land reclamation — from 90% to 99%, for the purchase of compound feeds for pigs and poultry — from 8 rubles/kg to 17 rubles/kg, etc. In general, the system of measures to support the agro-industrial complex contains tools in 43 areas, of which 13 are implemented through the federal budget.
— It is already possible to sum up the preliminary results of the current harvest season. Did the harvest meet the expectations for the main crops?
— Mass harvesting in the Sakhalin region began on time — in the first decade of September. Agricultural enterprises and peasant farms in the southern part of the island region were the first to start harvesting. Now the collection is going on in all districts of the region. So far, farmers mainly harvest potatoes, and in October the harvesting of beets and carrots will begin. The harvesting season will end with the cabbage harvest traditionally in early November.
In general, by the end of 2022, it is planned to harvest potatoes among agricultural enterprises and farms at least the level of last year, namely 43 thousand tons, open—ground vegetables – 22.4 thousand tons.
— It is not enough to grow and harvest, as practice shows. It is also necessary to save it until the new fees. What is being done in the region for this?
— To preserve the harvest in the Sakhalin region, new vegetable storages are being modernized and built. For example, last year a modern vegetable storage for 3 thousand tons was put into operation in one of the state farms. In general, modern warehouse complexes for agricultural products with a total capacity of 20 thousand tons have been built in recent years.
Also, a large investment project is currently being implemented for the construction of an agro-industrial park with a wholesale distribution center. Upon its completion, a modern logistics center with a high-tech infrastructure for storing food and agricultural products, as well as a trade and exhibition complex will appear in the region.
— At the initiative of the governor Valery Limarenko, the region pays close attention to the development of the network of stores of economy format. How is this work progressing now?
— Positive dynamics in the development of economy format facilities has been noted in the Sakhalin region. For 9 months of 2022, the number of such outlets increased by 27 units and amounted to 743 today. Such objects include social stores, branded retail network of local food producers, mobile commerce. Up to 25% of the regional retail turnover of food products is formed at the expense of these objects of trade.
On the territory of the region, the network of social stores is represented by 147 objects, of which 35 are located in rural areas. This year, the network of social stores has been replenished with several objects, mainly in villages. The company’s retail network is also developing today, it includes 476 stores of different formats. Regional manufacturers are actively developing the geography of their retail chains. In 2022, branded retail outlets were opened in several districts of the region, including remote ones. The Kuril Islands are no exception, the chain of branded stores here is expanding at the expense of local bakers. Mobile trade includes 120 car stalls and kiosks of the Kupava type, of which 81 units were purchased at the expense of state support. The services of car shops today cover 36 small sparsely populated settlements, in which there are no stationary trading enterprises.
— Are food agricultural fairs held in the region, in all localities, who participates in them?
— In all municipalities of the island region, fairgrounds receive their customers seven days a week. They operate in a wide variety of formats: daily, agricultural, universal, thematic and weekend. At fairs, a wide range of products are sold, primarily of local production. These are seasonal vegetables, herbs, berries, honey, eggs, meat and meat gastronomy, milk and dairy products, fish and fish products, seafood, bread, bakery and confectionery products, as well as catering products and much more.
The administrations of the municipalities of the Sakhalin Region have identified 89 sites for organizing fairs, of which 37 operate on a permanent basis. Since the beginning of the year, more than 8 thousand fairs have been held. This format of trade is very popular among residents of Sakhalin and Kamchatka, who buy seasonal fresh, environmentally friendly local products at fairs, and among the participants themselves. As a rule, these are local agricultural producers, so they are in great demand for an additional sales market, as well as a format of communication directly with consumers, which allows them to find out reviews about their products, preferences and tastes of buyers.
A source: https://mkset.ru
