The shops of the Sverdlovsk region have almost run out of vegetables of their own production. Now the last deliveries of potatoes are underway, although they usually last for May and June, Vitaly Dunin, deputy director of the Belorechensky agricultural complex, told DK.RU.
“Now we are preparing the soil, sorting potatoes for planting, sowing carrots – this is the very first crop that is sown. If the weather conditions are favorable, it will be warm, sunny and rainy, then on May 10 we will go to plant potatoes in order to get an early harvest. According to the schedule, potatoes are planted from about May 15, when the soil warms up. But carrots and onions need to be planted the sooner the better,” says the expert.
According to agricultural producers, 30,000 tons of potatoes are produced in the region, of which 15,000 tons are sold to regional retail chains.
“Of course, we have experienced the sanctions. We have imported equipment, while it still works reliably, but there may be difficulties in the supply of spare parts. However, this is not only our problem, now everyone is facing this,” added Vitaly Dunin.
The Ministry of Agriculture promised that there will be enough seeds and seedlings for this year’s sowing season
In his opinion, food sanctions are the wrong political decision for any country.
“Food and everything related to it is a humanitarian product, and if the supplying countries do not want the onset of world hunger, then it must be supplied. I mean seeds, fertilizers, remedies and so on. Imposing sanctions on food, I think, is wrong,” concluded Vitaly Dunin.
Recall, according to official data, varieties obtained by breeders of the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution “Ural Federal Agrarian Research Center of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences” are bred in the region. Additionally, potato seed production is carried out by the Uralsky Potato company, JSC AIC Belorechensky and LLC Kartofel. The share of the use of seeds of grain and leguminous crops of the Ural selection (FGBNU “Ural Federal Agrarian Research Center of the Ural Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences”) is 60%.
