General Director of the Scientific and Practical Center for Potato and Horticulture of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Vadim Makhanko told a BelTA correspondent about the export potential of Belarusian potatoes.
“Today, potatoes grow on all continents except Antarctica. When they ask where the highest potato crop is, and when you say that it is Australia, no one believes. Imagine that in Belarus, on average, about 30 tons are received from 1 ha, in Europe – 40-50 tons, and in Australia – 100 tons. And this is due to the fact that there are no diseases and pests of potatoes in Australia,” said Vadim Makhanko.
Potatoes are a truly unpretentious crop. “As for the soil, you can get a crop of potatoes almost anywhere, if there is water, enough temperature and it is not very high. The question is how this crop will be acceptable and economically profitable,” he added.
“Recently, there has been a tendency in Belarus to concentrate potato production. Farms that have excellent production potential and trained personnel are expanding potato production. And those farms that had small areas refuse to grow this crop. First of all, this is due to the economy The optimal planting area per farm today is at least 300 hectares. Our best farms have 1,000 hectares of potatoes,” the specialist concluded.
He drew attention to the export potential of Belarusian potatoes: “The potato market 20 years ago and now are different topics for discussion. Previously, our neighbors, primarily Russia, took all the potatoes in a row. Now they buy only high quality. In general, potato production from neighbors increased greatly. For example, in Uzbekistan, compared to the Soviet period, its production has doubled. The only problem is that there is a lack of high-quality potatoes all over the world, beautiful, without defects. This can be sold in the premium segment in supermarkets. Now the efforts of Belarusian potato growers are concentrated on improving the quality of the final product so that it is not only tasty, but also healthy.”
