Farmers will increase potato harvest by 250 thousand tons

The potato harvest in 2025 may grow by 250 thousand tons compared to the previous one. For these purposes, farmers have already increased the area of crops by 10 thousand hectares, but according to the results of the sowing campaign, they can expand the space to 20 thousand hectares. Alexey Krasilnikov, Executive Director of the Potato and Vegetable Market Participants Union (Potato Union), told Izvestia about this.

The ground is empty: how drought may affect harvests in 2025

Forecasters and the Ministry of Agriculture are cautious in their forecasts, while farms note a lack of moisture in the soil.

"The preliminary forecast of the Ministry of Agriculture for an increase in potato areas was 6.5 thousand hectares. It was planned that a total of 286 thousand hectares would be planted. However, now it has been increased by 10 thousand hectares. Translated into tons with a yield of 25 tons per hectare, at least this year we should expect a plus of 250 thousand tons of harvest," the business representative explained

He noted that for the harvest of 2023-2024, the area was reduced by 30 thousand hectares, they were at the level of 316 thousand hectares. According to him, today the planting has been completed on 80% of the territory and the sowing continues.

"Therefore, I do not exclude that the volume of acreage will be even higher, a number of potato growers decided to return to this sector after the increase in vegetable prices. This year we may approach 300 thousand hectares," said Alexey Krasilnikov.

In addition, the union added that in some regions, in particular in Kabardino-Balkaria, Stavropol, Krasnodar Territory, Rostov and Astrakhan regions, harvesting of early potatoes has already begun.

Read more in the exclusive Izvestia article:

Tubers by interest: farmers increase potato yield