Potato Tour | Vyacheslav Nemirov: experience and approach to potato farming (Kurgan Region)

Nemirov Group farms ~1,000–1,600 ha of potatoes (by year), traces its roots to 1991, and leans on full mechanization, long storage (selling into late spring), and stable contracts with national retailers. Next steps: a ~10,000-ton cold store, +2,000 ha of irrigation, and a three-course rotation of potatoes — vegetables — cereals.

Snapshot

• Footprint ~6,000 ha; yearly: ~1,600 ha potatoes, ~400 ha vegetables, ~2,000 ha cereals.
• Operations fully mechanized; guidance/autopilot widely used; maintenance via service crews.
• Early tech adoption: among the first to receive the new-series GRIMME Varitron self-propelled 4-row harvester (badge 002).

People & skills

• Supports the local school and village infrastructure.
• Operator pay “above 100k ₽/month” year-round (per V. Nemirov).
• Open to training and hiring, including re-training programs for highly mechanized roles.

Market & retail

• 100% sales to national/regional retail chains (Magnit, X5, Lenta, Monetka, etc.).
• Pros: stability (contracts, volumes, schedules).
• Cons: retail specs ≠ GOST; tougher grade/size visuals (small size in 2024/25 led to more downgrades).

Economics (speaker’s view)

• Mass-producer cost: about ~10 ₽/kg.
• “Fair” seasonal corridor: start ~15 ₽/kg; winter ~20 ₽/kg.
• Caveat: overly high prices can “relax” market discipline.

Rotation & 5-year plan

• Back to rigorous planning: accounting, norms, machine loading.
• Three-course rotation (potatoes–vegetables–cereals) tailored to the Urals.
• Cold store ~10,000 t foundation laid; +2,000 ha irrigation to close the agronomic loop.
• Potato area could reach ~2,000 ha if market capacity and price stability are confirmed.

Key facts

• 6,000 ha under management; potatoes ~1,600 ha/year.
• Long storage; late-season sales.
• Varitron 002 demonstrates early tech adoption.
• All sales via retail; tougher private specs vs. GOST.
• 2026–2030: ~10k-t storage, +2k-ha irrigation, 3-course rotation.
• Price anchors (speaker): 10/15/20 ₽ (cost/start/winter).

Quotes

• “Potatoes are fully mechanizable—from planting to storage and sale.”
• “Retail brings stability, but their specs are tougher than GOST.”
• “Price mustn’t sink to cost; that’s zero or negative.”
• “We’re ready to train people—machinery already runs on autopilot.”

Nemirov, Kurgan: tech, storage, retail, and a plan for ~10,000-ton storage and +2,000 ha of irrigation.
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