Farmers will not receive any profit from the current harvest
It seems that due to the established abnormal heat, the south of the country will lose — at least this season — its status as the main breadbasket of Russia. Vegetable growers in the Volgograd, Rostov and Astrakhan regions are sounding the alarm. In these and some other southern regions, up to 20-25% of the vegetable harvest — primarily potatoes and tomatoes — may be lost.
As usual, the Ministry of Agriculture does not see any particular risks for the new crop. For the reason that Russian peasants grow significant volumes of vegetables in greenhouses, which are not affected in any way by heat or cold.
However, potatoes, carrots, beets, and onions grow in open fields, so these are weather elements hit. In particular, ground tomatoes withered on the vine due to high temperatures. And, according to experts, if the plants can be saved by some miracle, they will produce a harvest only in three months.
The situation with potatoes is also difficult. By the way, a week ago in Moscow you could buy early tubers for 50 rubles. Today – 65.
Volgograd peasants have the cheapest agricultural product — watermelons. 15 rubles each. Everything else is more expensive. The head of the Volga-Agromash farm, Yuri Lemyakin from the Volgograd region, is surprised that in Moscow early potatoes cost 65 rubles per kilogram.
“We ship from our region wholesale, in large quantities, to stores for 35 rubles,” says he.
— The question is not for me, Volgograd does not supply its potatoes to the capital. Bryansk supplies you, and at this time they are already removing it en masse, the price should go down. Most likely, there are also problems with productivity.
— Wholesale onions for 25 rubles and early carrots for 35 rubles. It’s too early to talk about productivity. September-October will tell. As for potatoes, both we and Astrakhan will fail because of the drought, but there will be a “second bread” for domestic consumption. Probably, because of the heat, Central Russia, Bryansk for example, will not receive part of the harvest.
— 40 degrees in the shade, at the beginning of July it was both 47 and 48. In such heat, plants simply stop growing, at least fill them with water. At this temperature on the ground you can fry eggs. But the situation is not critical. One might say, an ordinary Volgograd summer. It’s just that in recent years our summer weather has been quite comfortable — humid and cool, hence the very high yields. We relaxed. But this year there is a drought, no rain. The temperature in the soil reaches 46-47 degrees, even abundant watering does not help much. No mineral fertilizers can save you.
Potatoes, at a price of 60-70 rubles per kilogram, are also sold in stores in the Rostov region — a completely rural region, where tubers, like other vegetables, are usually much cheaper for their residents than in Moscow.
I understand our agricultural comrades from Rostov who refuse to make any comment. The regional farmers' association only said “that this has never happened.”
— This year, we declared a regional emergency situation twice. The first time was in May, when the seedlings were killed by frost, and the second time in June, due to drought. What was not killed by frost in May has now died from drought. What kind of harvest do you think farmers will reap? The peas died, the yield is 8-12 centners per hectare, when we usually harvest about 35.
This is where our communication ended.
I called a familiar Rostov farmer who talks about his situation anonymously. “Otherwise they will be offended and will not issue loans for sowing next year,” he said in confidence.
— Now they are starting to accuse us, saying that it is our own fault, that we did not use advanced technologies, that we did not apply the required amount of fertilizers. We contributed everything. I am engaged in wheat, the current yield is no, 10-12 centners per hectare. Some of our farms, realizing that there would be no harvest, cut the grain for hay. I needed to do the same, I would have made more money from hay than from such wheat…
I try to calm him down, I say that in case of an emergency, insurers are obliged to pay compensation to producers — for complete or partial loss of the harvest.
“It’s useless,” he answers. – Compensation is paid if three factors coincide: high temperature, lack of rain, and there must be a dry wind. The first two factors exist, but it is impossible to prove the presence of a dry wind, it turns out that this is not an insured event…
The Rostov Regional Duma decided to contact the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation and the State Duma with a proposal to extend the payment of loans to producers due to the current weather situation for a year. In fact, they will not receive any profit from the current harvest.