On the eve of Unity Day, the island’s agricultural enterprises have completely finished harvesting potatoes. With a plan of 44.05 thousand tons, 46.17 thousand tons were collected. This is the largest harvest in recent years.
Such a solid addition to the planned indicators for the inhabitants of Sakhalin was provided by additional cultivated areas. This year, the total area of land occupied by potatoes exceeded last year’s figure by 52 hectares.
Now the farms are engaged in sorting the harvested potatoes, checking the tubers for diseases. This is a necessary operation before laying the crop for long-term storage. Most of the potatoes are sent to storage and some are regularly sent to the retail network in small batches.
Literally, in the next few days, the harvesting of cabbage will be over. This year’s favorite vegetable of the people was spread over an area of 323 hectares. Careful observance of the technology of growing plants, combined with careful care, provided farmers with a high yield of this crop. 520 quintals of cabbage were harvested in Teplichni AD state farm, 540 in Zarechnoe AD state farm and 480 quintals of cabbage per hectare in Yuzhno-Sakhalinski AD state farm.
A very rich crop of carrots this year. A total of 6.6 thousand tons were collected from the fields of Sakhalin. Compared to 2021, this is a growth of 35 percent. The beetroot year turned out to be fertile, 400 tons more were harvested.
In general, regional agriculture shows very good results for vegetables. In total, 19.3 thousand tons of vegetables were harvested in the region. This exceeds last year’s figure by almost 3,000 tonnes.
– Field work in the region will be completely completed no later than November 15, and in fact, preparations for next year’s sowing will begin immediately – says Ekaterina Slivkina, deputy director of the Department of Agriculture of the regional Ministry of Agriculture. – Now the market is being studied, the farms are preparing requests for the supply of mineral fertilizers. Next year, by the way, their volumes will be increased. Farmers are also showing interest in seeds, including elite crops such as potatoes.
State support helps enterprises to purchase seeds and fertilizers in the required quantities. She has been working for more than a year and has already helped more than one farmer. At the same time, the amount of support is growing from year to year. This year, for example, subsidies for agricultural equipment purchased on lease have increased significantly. In particular, the state subsidizes the price of purchased tractors manufactured in the Republic of Belarus in the amount of not 30, as before, but 50 percent of their price.
Vladimir BOLOTOV.