In 2026, the total sown area for agricultural crops across all categories of farms in Karelia is planned at 25,600 hectares, according to the regional Ministry of Agriculture. The vast majority — 24,000 hectares — will be allocated to fodder crops, while potatoes and vegetables will occupy 1,500 hectares. Production volumes of potatoes and vegetables are expected to remain at 2025 levels, with a projected harvest of 19,600 tons of potatoes and 300 tons of other vegetables from the traditional “borscht set.” Together with potatoes imported from outside Karelia, this amount is sufficient to meet the needs of the region’s residents. Currently, about ten farms in the Sortavala, Prionezhsky, Olonetsky, and Medvezhyegorsky districts are engaged in growing potatoes and vegetables — all of them private farmers.
To encourage agricultural producers to increase vegetable output, the Ministry of Karelia provides subsidies per hectare of land planted with potatoes, per ton of elite and/or original potato seeds, and per ton of potatoes produced. Nevertheless, potatoes have not yet gained widespread popularity among local farmers. The main branch of agriculture in the Republic of Karelia remains dairy cattle farming, and as a result, crop production is primarily oriented toward growing fodder.
