Governor Vladimir Vladimirov has repeatedly called greenhouse vegetable growing one of the key areas of development of the agricultural sector of Stavropol. As the head of the region emphasizes, the competitive advantages of our region are the high quality of import-substituting products and opportunities to reduce its cost.
The most important role in ensuring the growth of greenhouse vegetable production is played by the support of the agricultural sector carried out by the regional state authorities. Partial subsidization of direct costs incurred for the construction of greenhouses, a subsidy for the production of indoor vegetables produced using additional lighting technology, subsidies for reimbursement of part of the costs of agrotechnological work, preferential lending during the construction of greenhouse complexes – these support measures allowed Stavropol to become one of the leading regions of Russia for the production of greenhouse vegetables. The main capacities of greenhouse plants are concentrated in the Foothill, Kirov and Izobilnensky districts.
Daily painstaking work on state support of greenhouse vegetable growing is carried out within the framework of the state program of the Stavropol Territory “Development of agriculture”. The executor of the program is the Ministry of Agriculture of the UK.
…On the street, yellow and crimson leaves fall silently from the trees, and in a large greenhouse complex located in the Foothill area, it is real summer. The eyes do not immediately get used to the riot of greenery – in a huge room with high glass ceilings, high cucumber whips are directed upwards. Every year, the agricultural enterprise, which employs over 400 people, produces up to ten thousand tons of vitamin products. The taste of the foothill cucumbers sold through the largest retail chains is well known to residents of Stavropol, as well as many regions of Central Russia, Moscow.
Last year, the company, which forms a positive image of Stavropol in the Russian food market with its work, celebrated its 20th anniversary. Almost all of its history, the greenhouse complex has used the opportunities provided by state support to expand and modernize the gradually introduced areas. Its various forms, developed within the framework of the state program of the Stavropol Territory “Development of Agriculture”, made it possible for the Foothill residents to become one of the largest greenhouse agricultural associations in the South of Russia.
Since 2002, the company has regularly sought help from the government of the Stavropol Territory, and the regional authorities have always tried to support vegetable growers. It was mainly expressed in the reimbursement of part of the energy costs, partial compensation of the interest rate on loans that were taken for the expansion and modernization of production. In this regard, the site we visited is indicative. The subdivision of the complex was previously put into operation just the same thanks to the compensation of the loan rate.
When implementing the project, the investor used both his own and borrowed funds. The amount of the latter amounted to about 550 million rubles. The new branch, designed to produce four thousand tons of cucumbers per year, gave the district and the region 100 new jobs. The production also provided an annual income to budgets of various levels above 50 million rubles. The peculiarity of the unit in question is that due to its location in the 6-7 light zone, it can work without artificial illumination, significantly saving on electricity in the cost of production.
Modern greenhouse agribusiness is unthinkable without the construction of modern complexes that use innovative technologies. So state support for the creation of new greenhouses in the Foothill area at the time came in handy. Today, the work and knowledge of vegetable growers are aimed at the production of affordable, environmentally friendly products. So, the Foothill residents replaced insecticides – chemicals for the destruction of harmful insects – with entomophages. Small insects are dangerous for pests of cucumber culture and affect the natural regulation of their numbers.
So you can rightfully add the bio prefix to our Stavropol cucumber. And there is another point: the use of many types of entomophages as “live insecticides” is twice as effective as chemical analogues, which affects the cost of products for the better. After all, thanks to the innovative agrotechnological solution used, cucumber plants bear fruit well and are more resilient, the costs of their production are significantly reduced.
As already mentioned, the Ministry of Agriculture of the Stavropol Territory is the executor of the Stavropol Territory state program “Development of Agriculture”, within the framework of which there is also support for greenhouse vegetable growing. The work of the most important program is under personal control of the Governor Vladimir Vladimirov. The results of the activities of the head of Stavropol, the regional Ministry of Agriculture are best indicated by the following figures. Today Stavropol region ranks fifth in Russia in terms of production areas of greenhouse complexes, their area exceeds 250 hectares. After the implementation of two major projects, the total area of greenhouses will increase by more than 80 hectares.
Recently, the production of greenhouse vegetables in our region has increased by 20 – 40 percent annually. In 2021, 100.5 thousand tons of greenhouse vegetable products were collected in Stavropol: cucumbers, tomatoes, sweet peppers, eggplants, etc. This is the fourth result among the regions of the country
And what’s next? The Ministry of Agriculture of the Stavropol Territory continues systematic work to increase the production of greenhouse vegetables, including through new measures to support farmers as part of the implementation of the state program of the Stavropol Territory “Development of Agriculture”. This year, a number of new state support measures have appeared, including a subsidy for the production of indoor vegetables produced using additional lighting technology. For these purposes, 20.6 million rubles were allocated from the regional budget in 2022. The funds are fully transferred to farmers. The expansion of protected ground areas is also continuing. So, in 2022-2023, it is planned to put into operation additional areas in two districts of the region, which will allow on average to increase production by 23 thousand tons annually.
As already mentioned, Governor Vladimir Vladimirov has repeatedly focused attention on the role of state support for investment projects implemented in the agro-industrial complex of the region, including during the construction and modernization of greenhouse complexes producing vegetables of protected soil throughout the year.
– Today, state support is one of the key tools that help our farmers to reduce costs in the production of agricultural products. This is especially important now, when Stavropol is at the forefront of ensuring the country’s food security. We will strengthen this work,” Vladimir Vladimirov said.
Alexander MASHCHENKO
Tushe: https://stapravda.ru/
