4 October, Lepel /Own. inf./. This year, 206 hectares of potatoes have been planted in the district's farms.
4 October, Lepel /Own. inf./. This year, 206 hectares of potatoes have been planted in the district's farms. The largest planting areas are in the open joint-stock company "Chareyshchina" – 125 hectares. Compared to last year, the areas have been reduced by almost half. Experience has shown that such sowings are most optimal, as workers manage to carry out all necessary agrotechnical operations on time. OJSC "Ladna" and the variety testing station have allocated 40 and 41 hectares respectively for the second bread.
Potato harvesting began with the first autumn days. This year has not been very fruitful for potatoes. While in previous years it was possible to boast yields of 300 centners per hectare or more, this year the picture is as follows. OJSC "Chareyshchina" is harvesting about 140 c/ha, OJSC "Ladna" – 106, and the variety station – only 74 centners of tubers per hectare.
Specialists attribute the poor harvest to unfavorable weather conditions: a too cold spring, when tubers needed to germinate and root, and a too dry summer, when potatoes grew poorly due to lack of moisture. The villagers did their job well; planting was carried out within favorable agrotechnical terms, and mineral fertilizers were applied. Hilling and treatment with preparations against Colorado beetles and late blight were carried out at the right time.
However, there is a pleasant exception – in the nurseries of the variety station, plantings of elite potato varieties "Lileya", "Uladar", "Briz", and "Ragneda" yielded up to 400 centners per hectare. Unfortunately, only one hectare was allocated for these varieties. The variety station plans to keep all tubers for further cultivation.
Potato harvesting has been completed at the sorting station and "Lyadno", and sorting, storage, and sales are underway. In the first farm, this operation is mechanized, with a potato sorting unit (PSU) in operation. The Belarusian-made equipment is relatively new, having been used by the farm for four years. OAO "Lyadno" does not have a PSU, so all 424 tons of tubers will have to be sorted manually. Schoolchildren, unemployed individuals, and "shefs" (sponsors/supporting organizations) are involved in this process. OAO "Chareyshchyna" has its own PSU, but the volumes are very large. It is estimated that they will receive about 1750 tons, so "shef" assistance will also be required.
Potato sales are already underway. Procurement organizations, in particular, the procurement cooperative of Lepel RST, are accepting potatoes at 1200 rubles per kilogram. In the coming days, "Chareyshchyna" will sell 200 tons in this manner. According to economists, this price barely covers the agricultural producers' costs of cultivation. Farm workers place significant hope in the traditional autumn fairs, where considerable volumes of produce can be sold at a higher price.
The next important task is to properly store the potatoes to ensure they retain their consumer qualities throughout the winter months. "Chareyshchyna" has storage facilities capable of holding up to 1500 tons of tubers. These are equipped with climate control systems that allow for the creation and maintenance of optimal conditions.
OAO "Lyadno" also has a suitable facility that can accommodate 300 tons. However, there are several issues regarding the storage conditions. The sorting station has a decent storage facility for 400 tons. The issue of quality storage of the harvest is all the more relevant because, as a rule, potato prices significantly increase from mid-winter, making sales at that time more profitable.