News on Potato Varieties and Seed from the Russian Federation

A deal to export 2,000t of Scottish seed potatoes to Russia has been scrapped by PepsiCo following criticism of the arrangement. The food and drinks company said "a couple of lorries" had already left Scottish farms this week, but following discussion with growers, the decision had been made to stop future shipments.

Less than a year after the opening of the World-class Scientific Center 'Agrotechnologies for the Future', Russian scientists had a breakthrough: the first-ever vertical farm with dynamic LED lighting.

In Russia, HZPC is using an unconventional strategy to secure its potato trade for the future: in 2019, a small breeding company was set up to provide Russian contract growers with pre-basic seed potatoes. In 2020, the production of mini-tubers was added too.

Since the start of autumn, potato producers in the regions of Russia have been facing many challenges, new and old. In the Russian Federation, the average annual volume of potatoes used for food purposes is estimated to be at 13-14 million tons, which makes potato one of the most important crops in Russia. In this article, we present information about the potato situation in various regions of Russia.

The plans for its creation were considered by an interdepartmental commission for the implementation of investment projects in the agricultural sector under the leadership of the Deputy Governor of the Tomsk Region for agro-industrial complex

Russia will start importing Dutch seed potatoes again, once a quality inspection has deemed them suitable. This could mean a 10 million euro export opportunity for companies.

The expectations were positive, but the doors to Russia are still closed for the European potato and seed potato sector.