MOSCOW, December 12The Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation expects in 2023 a record potato harvest in the organized sector over the past 30 years, estimating it at 8.4 million tons, which is 15% higher than in 2022, said Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation Andrei Razin during a round table in the Council Federation on measures to protect and ensure growth in production of domestic fruits and vegetables.
«For potatoes this year we plan to produce 8.4 million tons, which is the maximum production volume over the last 30 years and exceeds the 2022 figures by 15%,» Razin said.
He recalled that within the framework of the federal project for the development of potato and vegetable growing, it was stipulated that the volume of potato production should consistently exceed 7.9 million tons. “This year we exceeded this figure. But it is important that in the next years we produce a stable volume of these products in order to cover all internal needs,” the deputy minister said.
In 2022, the production of fruits and berries in the Russian Federation increased year-on-year by 20%, to 1.7 million tons, open- and protected-ground vegetables — by more than 10%, to 5.6 million tons, and by 85, to 1. 6 million tons, Razin recalled, noting that this year the ministry sees positive dynamics in almost all areas — in particular, in protected soil it is planned to increase by 1-1.5%, to about 1.7 million tons.
«We proceed from the fact that in the next 3-4 years our positive dynamics in the production of greenhouse vegetables will be maintained — today we can say this and the fact of the implementation of 45 greenhouse complexes with a total area of more than 400 hectares, and this allows we can count on an increase in production volumes plus about 190 thousand tons more,» the deputy minister said.