Smolensk Farmer Reports Strong Potato Harvest but Faces Serious Marketing Problems

Igor Demyanov, head of the “Lyubich” farm in the Yartsevo district of the Smolensk region, shared his results and concerns in an interview with the “Smolensk Newspaper” in September 2026. The harvest has been excellent: yields exceed 300 centners per hectare, and eight pieces of machinery are involved in the harvesting campaign. Among the varieties tested on the farm are “Udacha,” “Nevsky,” “Briz,” and “Rozalind,” while the elite variety “Ryabinushka” has also been brought in. The farm has expanded its potato planted area by 30%, now cultivating more than 140 hectares under the crop. In terms of equipment, Demyanov’s operation purchased a German combine harvester — assembled in the Kaluga region — for more than 4.5 million rubles. According to the farmer, this single machine replaces two or three Ryazan-made combines, and the quality of harvesting is “simply incomparable.”

Despite the strong agronomic results, the farm faces serious difficulties with sales. Demyanov links the problem not only to the influx of cheap vegetables from Belarus but also to the fact that tenders for purchasing agricultural products for social institutions are not being held. As a result, the farm has no guaranteed institutional buyers for its produce. “Apparently, we will be forced to store part of the potatoes in the fields. Selling everything in autumn is simply unrealistic,” the farmer stated. His situation reflects a broader challenge facing Russian potato growers in 2026: even with record yields, weak demand and disrupted procurement channels can leave farmers without viable outlets for their harvest.