September 9, Minsk / Tatyana Lobas - BELTA /. Enterprises of the Republican Association of Potato and Fruit and Vegetable Producers "Kartofelplodoovoshch" have supplied the first 3.5 thousand tons of potatoes to Tatarstan, which is approximately 15% of the contract volume, the General Director of the association Alexander Yarokhovich told BELTA correspondent. Supplies are carried out by road and rail transport. Combined transportation is also used. Trucks that bring goods from Tatarstan to Belarus are loaded with potatoes here. In total, according to the contract, the association will export 30 thousand tons of potatoes to Tatarstan. Potato supplies to Bashkortostan are also beginning. Belkoopsoyuz has been designated as the main supplier of potatoes here, and "Kartofelplodoovoshch" will also export part of the potatoes. Transportation will be carried out mainly by rail. According to Alexander Yarokhovich, potato exports to these Russian regions are under special government control. Potato supply contracts were signed very recently. For example, the contract with Tatarstan was concluded following the visit of Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov to Belarus in August. Tatarstan considers Belarus as the main importer of potatoes to its market. In the first stage, it is planned to supply 40 thousand tons of potatoes from Belarus to Tatarstan. In the future, this figure may increase to 100 thousand tons. Potato shipments to the Oryol, Voronezh, Ryazan, and Ulyanovsk regions of the Russian Federation are also underway. Through the "Kartofelplodoovoshch" association, it is planned to supply 20 thousand tons of potatoes and 10 thousand tons of vegetables to Moscow. Belarusian farms can sell part of the produce under direct contracts. More than 30 thousand tons of potatoes and 10 thousand tons of vegetables will be sent to St. Petersburg, Murmansk, Kaliningrad, and Karelia. Alexander Yarovich noted that supplies to Moscow and St. Petersburg are carried out under long-term contracts. Thus, wholesale trading companies in Moscow and St. Petersburg have been cooperating with Belarusian companies for three years. Along with supplying products to Russia, the association intends to organize exports to Moldova and Ukraine. In particular, issues and conditions for the supply of potatoes to Kherson and Crimea have already been worked out and agreed upon. As Alexander Yarokhovich emphasized, potato exports are not carried out to the detriment of the domestic market's needs. The country's stabilization funds are replenished with potatoes according to the plan.