Dagestan’s Potato Sector Expands Amid Weather Challenges and Modernization Efforts

This year, Dagestan has allocated nearly 19,000 hectares of farmland to potato cultivation, with 40% of this area concentrated in the Levashinsky, Akushinsky, Khasavyurtovsky, and Buynaksky districts. While almost 98% of the region’s potatoes are grown in private household plots, large-scale commercial farming is emerging in Khasavyurtovsky, Kizilyurtovsky, and Derbentsky districts. One notable example is individual entrepreneur Gasan Magomedov from the village of Kokrek, who farms potatoes on 50 hectares and is currently harvesting his early crop—though planting was delayed by a month due to unfavorable spring weather, pushing the harvest back by two to three weeks. During a recent visit, First Deputy Minister of Agriculture Sharip Sharipov emphasized the importance of getting local potatoes to regional markets to help stabilize and reduce retail prices for fresh produce.

To strengthen the organized farming sector, Dagestan’s Ministry of Agriculture is promoting modern agrotechnologies and actively expanding cultivated areas—plantings in the organized sector grew by 47% in 2020 compared to the previous year, and this year that area stands at 400 hectares, double the figure from two years ago. Sharipov noted that larger, coordinated production facilitates batch deliveries to both food markets and retail chains. Additionally, several storage facility projects are underway to regulate supplies and prevent sharp price spikes during the off-season. The government’s strategy clearly favors scaling up commercial production while improving infrastructure, aiming for more stable market conditions and greater food security in the republic.