On International Potato Day, May 30, the Rosselkhozcenter branch for Novgorod and Pskov regions highlighted a cutting-edge method of growing potatoes using microplants in a laboratory. This completely clean material, free from viruses and bacteria, allows farmers to obtain elite seed potatoes within five years. One of the first in the region to master this technology was Ivan Geletey, a farmer from Borovichi District. His farm plants 4,000 microplants annually and produces 700–800 tons of elite seeds.
Previously, Novgorod farmers purchased seed potatoes abroad but often faced unpredictable quality issues. Since 2015, the Geletey farm has partnered with the Rosselkhozcenter, learning from colleagues in Nizhny Novgorod Region. Today, they not only supply their own farm but also sell elite seed potatoes to growers in Novgorod, Leningrad, and other regions as far as Yakutia and the Urals. What once seemed a bold, high-tech experiment has become a strategic move toward import substitution and the promotion of Russian potato varieties.
