How to turn potato farming into a profitable business. Own business: growing nightshade

Potato growing business plan: detailed financial calculations + 7 basic steps for becoming a successful business.

Capital investment: 90,200 rubles.
Payback period: 4-5 months (time from planting to harvest).

Growing potatoes - business?

This question was asked by many of those who at least once grew potatoes with their own hands.

We answer with confidence that yes, and quite promising.

The main thing is to take the first steps correctly.

There is no need to talk about the popularity of the potato once again, as it can be called the real master of the table for more than one hundred years.

The Indians of Latin America discovered its secret 7,000 years ago.

Then the Spanish conquerors brought it to Europe, and later, thanks to the efforts of Peter I, it ended up on our tables.

Given the popularity of the vegetable, it can be assumed that growing potatoes is still a business, and a promising one at that.

However, you must be aware that, as in any other type of activity, in order to achieve success, you need to make some efforts, think carefully about everything and act on the basis of.

Of course, like all undertakings in business, it will require certain costs.

Their size depends on what volumes you are going to "swing".

Where does a business plan for growing potatoes begin?

Like any project, it starts with the fact that they make up a business plan for growing potatoes.

It is carefully thought out, based on what you have:

acreage for cultivation;
financial business opportunities;
choice of technology for growing potatoes;
capital (initially necessary) investments;
daily or current expenses;
expected business outcome.

So, having decided for yourself that growing potatoes is the business to which you decide to devote your efforts and time, you need to carefully conduct analytical work.

The business analysis is as follows:

Find out the average price for seed.
Determine and clearly understand what equipment you will need and its price.
Which planting technology is most suitable for your climate zone.
Average yield and how to raise it in your area.
Average price for fertilizers and fuels and lubricants.
Average wholesale and/or retail selling price of the harvest.
Legal aspect and nuances of taxation.

Incorporating a Legal Question into a Potato Business Plan

If we are talking about entrepreneurial activity, it is necessary to include such an item as the legal registration of one's relations with the state in the business plan for growing potatoes.

If you decide to limit yourself to the scope of your subsidiary plot, then with a clear conscience you can sell the crop on the market without any registration, according to the legally valid concept of "personal subsidiary plot" (PSP).

But if the planned scale of production is higher, then (indicating the OKVED code A.01.13.21).

At the same time, the UAT taxation system will be the most beneficial for you, deductions for which will also need to be included in the list of future expenses.

Potato growing business plan: necessary equipment and fixtures

This is one of the most expensive points of your business plan, but sooner or later you will have to return to it and decide.

To be successful in this type of business, it is necessary to gain complete autonomy from the beginning to the end of the potato growing process.

Of course, when it comes to a subsidiary farm with a plot area of 6 to 10 acres, then, although this is not easy, it is quite possible to cope with the muscular strength of family members and a primitive shovel.

And if you went out into the open spaces of the site, say, 30 acres?

There is no doubt that mechanization is needed here.

There are two ways: buying a mini-tractor or renting.

As for rent, you should know that the price of the service is on average 400-500 rubles per hundred square meters across the country.

The price of your own "horse" is about 30-60,000 rubles.

Here, the amounts vary depending on the type, power and capabilities of the unit.

If your farm has a horse and an old peasant plow with a cart, then this is also a good option for mechanizing labor at the initial stage:

What technologies are used to grow potatoes?

Speaking about growing technology, it should be said that there are a lot of options.

Which one to choose is up to you, based on the information collected on the appropriateness of the method for your region and based on the expected end result.

It should be borne in mind that, like any business, growing potatoes should be based on the most advanced technologies.

In this regard, we will introduce you to a relatively new, but already successfully tested technology for growing potatoes in Southern Patagonia (Argentina).

The climate of that area is similar to the central zone of Russia, and closer to the south it is even more severe.

It should be noted that this method is successfully used at all latitudes of the country, up to its subtropical part, and gives good yields.

For planting, flower pots made of organic material with a depth of 60 cm are required (this type of pot is well known to gardeners who plant seedlings of tomatoes).

Soil is poured into them, the top layer of which is mixed with manure and a small amount of sand and water.

6 weeks before planting, selected potatoes are planted and left in a cool place with natural light.

When preparing planting material, we decide on the size of the fruits of the future crop.

If our plans include medium-sized potatoes with a large number of fruits, five sprouts are left.

If our plan is to get very large tubers (with fewer of them), then we leave 3 sprouts.

Growing potatoes in this way requires fertile, well-drained and rich in organic matter soil (prepared before planting) with a hole depth of about 60 centimeters (according to the dimensions of the planting pots).

Holes (landing holes) in the ground are made at a distance of 40 cm from each other.

Potatoes are planted directly in pots.

Two weeks before harvesting, the ground part of the plant is cut off just above the root, leaving 5 - 10 cm above the ground.

2 weeks after removing the plants, we can harvest.

The yield and quality of potatoes with this method is simply fantastic.

Potatoes are resistant to the process of decay and are stored for a long time, retaining their original appearance.

To this it should be added that the described technology is more costly and troublesome, but gives a minimum yield of 450-500 kg per hundred square meters, which is twice the average yield in Russia (250-300 kg).

What kind of staff is needed to mark potato growing in a business plan?

This question is not as unambiguous as it seems at first glance, and depends on several factors.

As a rule, growing potatoes is a family business and 90% mechanized, even on a small scale.

Especially if a person undertook the implementation of a business idea for growing potatoes, having the necessary skills for this.

That is, he knows the cultivation technology, has the skills of a machine operator, automation of the process of planting, processing and harvesting sown areas.

Then it will not be difficult for him to cope with the sowing areas and hectares.

But during the harvesting process, assistants will still be needed to pick potatoes after the tractor (up to 20% of the crop remains in the field, or even more), sorting, packaging, etc.

Experienced farmers attract a number of workers.

As a rule, they are hired for several days (for calculations, we take 6 days for harvesting and sorting), and their number is determined by the area under crops and the amount of crop.

On average in Russia, payment for a workday in the field is 400-600 rubles per day, and is regulated by a labor agreement.

How much money do you need to invest to grow potatoes?

Investments in the potato growing business consist of several points: determining the price of seed, fertilizer and fuel, as well as the purchase of equipment.

Starting investment in business

Summarizing everything in the final table, I would like to note that in the future the costs will be much less, because the purchased equipment and devices will last for many years.

Price for seed

The prices for planting potatoes are different and depend on the variety, the region and the place where you purchased it (station or market).

To understand what prices are relevant in Russia, pay attention to the table of average prices for all regions for the main varieties of seed.

These data must be reflected in the business plan for growing potatoes.

Fertilizer and fuel costs

The business plan for growing potatoes includes another significant expense item - pesticides, fertilizers and fuel and lubricants.

In the calculations above, we proceeded from the fact that our sown area is 35 acres.

Based on the average fuel consumption of an average mini-tractor, the amount of fertilizers and chemicals for processing one hundred square meters, for such an area, the costs for this article will amount to 15,000 rubles.

The video below provides a list of the features of growing potatoes:

Expected net income from the potato growing business

Interesting fact:
Today, the price of potatoes is not high, but a kilogram of the most expensive potato in the world will not be so cheap. Variety "La Bonnotte" is grown by hand on the coast of France and is valued at 500 euros per kilogram. During the gold rush, potato tubers were saved from scurvy, and in the circles of prospectors were valued more than gold.

The most important point for a future entrepreneur is, of course, information about the profitability and profitability of a business:

Based on the data in the table, we get the figure of net profit from the business:

262,500 - 90,200 = 172,300 rubles.

For those who are just starting or are thinking about starting a potato growing business, there is good news.

Statistics and economic analytics indicate that, in terms of payback and profit, growing potatoes is one of the most effective types of business of this type.

The full cycle from planting seeds to harvesting is, on average, 4 months, and the level of profitability, according to modest forecasts, is 150-200%.

As seen, potato cultivation– business which is worth doing.

If we take subsequent years, then the net profit received can be safely added to the costs of the purchased equipment, minus the funds that will be spent on maintenance and repairs (as a rule, this is about 15% of the cost of the equipment).

It turns out a good amount of stable profit, so it’s really worth doing this activity.

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1 Is it profitable to grow potatoes for sale?
2 Potato growing technology
3 Growing potatoes as a business
- 3.1 Land acquisition
- 3.2 Business registration
- 3.3 Selection of premises
- 3.4 Procurement of equipment
- 3.5 Purchase of planting material
- 3.6 Formation of a team of workers
4 Potato Growing Business Plan
5 Frequently Asked Questions
- 5.1 What is the demand for potatoes today?
- 5.2 Where to look for marketing channels for potatoes?
- 5.3 What documents need to be issued for potatoes?
- 5.4 Is it possible to build a business on the resale of potatoes?

One of the most profitable business niches is growing and selling potatoes. Today it is difficult to imagine the diet of most Russians without this root crop, so such an agricultural crop will always be in great consumer demand. Growing potatoes is a promising and long-term activity, moreover, there are no problems with the sale of products. To successfully develop in this direction, an entrepreneur needs to competently organize his own business.

First, it is recommended to analyze the situation on the market, determine the profitability of activities, as well as calculate the amount of investments and possible income. To date, farmers cannot fully satisfy the needs of buyers, so growing potatoes for sale is very profitable. Despite the large number of manufacturers, the business is not afraid of competition and is highly profitable.

Is it profitable to grow potatoes for sale?

What is useful to know for a novice entrepreneur who decides to grow potatoes for sale? This type of activity is highly profitable, besides, today modern technologies are used that allow growing root crops in greenhouses all year round and harvesting several crops per season. The business of growing and selling potatoes has its positive and negative sides. The pluses should include:

the possibility of growing root crops even on a small plot of land;
fast return on investment;
high consumer demand for potatoes, regardless of seasonality;
the possibility of combining business with other activities;
relative ease of care.

If a person has a garden, he can also grow potatoes and earn decent money from it. There is no tax to pay for this type of home business. Fertilizers are inexpensive, and there are many people in the countryside who want to earn money (it doesn’t hurt to hire them to weed the land and care for potatoes). The costs will be negligible.

Growing potatoes is not only able to bring profit all year round, but also saves on fertilizers, since the tops are used to form humus on the site. If you install greenhouses on the ground, you can harvest 3 crops in 1 year. Investments usually pay off after 4 months from the beginning of the first planting.

This business is not without flaws, and every entrepreneur who is interested in profitable work for himself should know about them. First of all, there is a great dependence of the quality of the crop on weather conditions. If there is intense heat in the region, the plants need to be protected with irrigation systems. Potatoes have a lot of enemies among insects. To combat them, various chemicals are successfully used today, which allow saving the crop. Therefore, these disadvantages should be considered rather as additional precautions.

To understand how profitable it is to grow potatoes for sale yourself, let's give a simple example. Let's say a businessman rented (or owns) 30 acres of land. From every 100 sq. m, you can collect about 280 kg of potatoes, and from the entire area - 8.4 thousand kg. If you sell it in bulk at a price of 20 rubles, you can get revenue of 168 thousand rubles.

To cultivate the land, you will need to buy a walk-behind tractor (mini-tractor) with a body, as well as a hiller, a mounted plow and a device for digging up root crops. Still need to purchase fertilizer for the site. Investments for these purposes will amount to about 80 thousand rubles. The benefits of this type of activity are obvious. If you install greenhouses and grow plants all year round, profits will increase significantly.

Potato growing technology

There are many different ways to grow potatoes, allowing you to get a fairly good harvest. Let us dwell on the Dutch method, since it does not require large expenses and allows plants to develop in natural conditions (without the use of greenhouses).

A feature of this technology is the minimum mechanical processing of the land and the potato itself. The method involves the use of ground aeration, which provides effective ventilation of soil layers by mixing them with atmospheric air. To implement it, the soil is first loosened, after which the planting material is placed in the formed earthen ridges, while it is necessary to ensure that the distance between the planting rows is large enough.

Growing potatoes according to this method makes it possible to collect up to 1.8-2 kg of root crops from one bush, while the potatoes themselves can be stored for a long time under certain conditions. When selecting planting material, pay attention to the tubers: each of them should have about 5-6 eyes in order to get a good harvest.

Immediately before planting, root crops should be warmed up in spacious, bright areas. Then they are placed in the ground until sprouts form, while the material should be in a room where it is recommended to maintain 6-8 ° heat. Ready seedlings must be sent for further growth in natural conditions in well-warmed soil.

Up to 600 potato bushes are allowed to be planted on one hundred square meters of land, while it is better to arrange them in such a way as to provide good lighting. The beds are formed from north to south with an interval between rows of up to 0.75 m. As for watering potatoes, this should be done no more than 3 times over the entire period of the crop's life. The first is carried out when sprouts appear, then before flowering begins, and after it ends.

Important: to protect potatoes from the Colorado potato beetle and other pests, it is recommended to treat the tops with pesticides even before the onset of the flowering period.

Growing potatoes as a business

Consider the main stages of business development.

Land Acquisition

An important step in organizing a potato growing business is the acquisition of land. On average, one hundred square meters will have to pay 5 thousand rubles, and about 0.25-0.3 hectares will be required for planting. Thus, the minimum investment for the purchase will be 75 thousand rubles.

A person can organize a small business in the country, in which case his income will be small, but he will not have to spend money on buying a land plot. As for the lease of land, its cost can reach several thousand rubles per hundred square meters, so it is more expedient to invest in your own land. Before buying a plot, you should consult with a lawyer who will inform you about all the intricacies of land registration and assist in filling out the documents.

Business registration

To start entrepreneurial activity, a businessman needs to contact the Federal Tax Service at the place of residence and register a peasant farm or individual entrepreneur. Often such a business is organized simultaneously by several partners. In this case, to register an enterprise, it is worth submitting an appropriate contract indicating the contact details of each of the co-owners of the business. In addition, the contract should specify the rights and obligations of each of the partners, as well as the procedure for exiting the business of each of them. If necessary, a specialist in the department of the Federal Tax Service can learn how to correctly calculate the land tax and agree on the frequency of payment.

When registering an enterprise, it is necessary to indicate OKVED codes. For growing potatoes, you can choose:

01.1 - "Growing annual crops";
01.13 - "Growing vegetables, root crops, gourds and tubers, mushrooms and truffles";
01.13.1 - "Growing vegetables";
01.13.12 - "Cultivation of protected ground vegetables".

Novice entrepreneurs who want to make money growing and selling vegetables and fruits do not know which form of taxation is better to choose. For this type of activity, the best option would be to pay a single agricultural tax, the rate of which is only 6%.

Selection of premises

A businessman should take care of the proper storage of the crop, so you need to find the appropriate storage facilities equipped with:

ventilation;
lighting;
heating system.

Storage areas must be dry, free of moisture and mold. Root crops should be dried before being placed in storage, and also sorted so that there are no rotten tubers among the crop. Illiquid potatoes can be handed over to farms specializing in growing turkeys at home and other livestock, which will accept them as feed for a small price. As for the cost of renting storage facilities, it varies between 30-40 thousand rubles for 1 month.

Purchase of equipment

For the operation of a farm for growing potatoes, it is necessary to purchase the appropriate equipment. If you have to use a large amount of planting material, you should buy a potato planter. This machine allows you to perform large amounts of work in a short time and greatly simplifies the work of people.

In addition, it is desirable to acquire special harvesters for harvesting root crops. They allow you to automate harvesting, moreover, such equipment practically does not damage potato tubers. You can’t do without a potato digger on the field. Such a machine is needed for sampling root crops from the ground. You will also need a line for sorting the harvested crop on the farm, and it can also be used for onions. It allows you to easily select vegetables by size, for which the design provides for the possibility of installing gratings with the appropriate fractions.

Without fail, a small tractor will be required, with the help of which weeding work will be carried out, as well as the transportation of the crop. The minimum set of equipment for farming will be:

tractor with trailer - 250 thousand rubles;
automated line for sorting root crops - 200 thousand rubles;
potato digger - 150 thousand rubles;
harvester - 300 thousand rubles;
potato planter - 70 thousand rubles.

Total - the cost of purchasing equipment will amount to 970 thousand rubles. Most entrepreneurs do not have the opportunity to invest such an amount of money to buy the necessary equipment for the economy. For this reason, equipment can be rented or leased before harvesting.

Purchase of planting material

Another item in the cost item will be the purchase of seed and organic fertilizers, which are necessary for the full growth of the crop. About 30 thousand rubles will have to be allocated for chemicals before sowing root crops. How to correctly calculate the number of seedlings required for sowing the land? Based on practice, about 20 kg of seed (tubers) will be required per 1 weave of land. Thus, for 0.3 ha, you need to provide 20 * 30 = 600 kg of root crops. The wholesale price for the purchase of potatoes is on average 20 rubles per 1 kg, so you will have to spend 12 thousand rubles to purchase seed. Taking into account fertilizers, the costs will cost 42 thousand rubles.

Formation of a team of workers

What kind of employees to attract to work in a potato farm? To do this, it does not hurt to invite machine operators - specialists who will service the equipment and work on the land. Also, you can not do without handymen for weeding, watering and sorting root crops.

In addition, you will need an auto mechanic who will repair the equipment. In the summer, guards should be involved to control the order on the field. An example staffing might look like this:

handyman (2 people) - 16 thousand rubles;
machine operator (2 people) - 24 thousand rubles;
enterprise manager - 20 thousand rubles;
auto mechanic - 15 thousand rubles;
security guard (2 people) - 20 thousand rubles;
accounting (payment for outsourcing) - 5 thousand rubles.

In total, monthly expenses for the salaries of employees will amount to 100 thousand rubles. At first, the owner of the business can keep records of the warehouse economy, which will reduce the costs of remuneration of the relevant specialist.

Business plan for growing potatoes

Before embarking on a commercial project, an entrepreneur needs to develop a detailed business plan for growing potatoes. It allows you to determine the amount of initial costs for a start, evaluate the prospects and calculate the possible profit.

In addition, the businessman must know the amount of monthly expenses that are mandatory in the course of work. Calculate the amount of investment to start the enterprise, which includes the following components:

purchase of land - 75 thousand rubles;
purchase of equipment - 970 thousand rubles;
planting material and fertilizers - 42 thousand rubles;
business registration - 15 thousand rubles;
purchase of fuel and lubricants - 10 thousand rubles;
warehouse rental - 30 thousand rubles.

Thus, the amount of initial investments is 1.142 million rubles. Running a root crop business involves monthly costs, which include:

rent of premises - 30 thousand rubles;
payment for utilities - 25 thousand rubles;
tax deductions - 20 thousand rubles;
staff salary - 100 thousand rubles;
equipment depreciation - 15 thousand rubles;
purchase of fuel and lubricants - 10 thousand rubles;
other expenses - 10 thousand rubles.

Total - regular costs amount to 216 thousand rubles. Now let's calculate the possible profit of the enterprise. It is realistic to harvest 280 kg of potatoes from one hundred square meters of land, the total yield will be 8.4 tons. Let half a ton of potatoes be unsuitable for sale. Thus, 7900 kg of root crops are obtained, which can be sold.

If you sell the harvest in bulk at a price of 20 rubles per 1 kg, the total amount of income will be 158 thousand rubles. When selling washed and dried root crops in small wholesale lots and retail, you can make a profit of about 40 rubles per 1 kg, which will bring 316 thousand rubles. The net profit from the sale of one crop will be 100 thousand rubles.

This amount can be increased many times if you organize year-round cultivation of potatoes in greenhouses. In the future, it will not hurt to scale the business, which will lead to a significant increase in income. For example, medium-sized farms own land plots with an area of 2 hectares or more. This allows you to harvest more than 50 tons of crops at a time.

FAQ

Consider frequently asked questions on the topic.

What is the demand for potatoes today?

Potato is one of the most important food products, the demand for which does not depend on the season. As practice shows, the profit from the sale of root crops in winter can almost double. In addition to ordinary consumers, large quantities of potatoes are purchased by manufacturing firms. For example, potatoes are used to make starch and alcohol on an industrial scale. Recently, this product has been used for the production of chips. In addition, the main buyers of potatoes are wholesalers, large retail chains and supermarkets.

Where to look for potato marketing channels?

Entrepreneurs who want, for example, to open a beer store, initially focus on the huge consumer demand for such a product. Potatoes do not need advertising, and they will be bought in any quantities. Consider several effective ways to sell the crop:

Sale on the collective farm markets. This option is able to bring good profit, however, it should be understood that it requires an investment of a large amount of time. This task should be entrusted to one of the family members or involve implementers. It is profitable to sell potatoes from mid-autumn to early May, when this product is in great demand (despite high prices).
Delivery of potatoes for sale. A fairly promising option, since it allows you to gain a decent amount of money. To do this, you should find several sellers who have their own outlets and offer them favorable terms of cooperation.
Harvest wholesale. An entrepreneur can hand over large quantities of potatoes to wholesale buyers, as well as to purveyors. They offer a low price for the goods, but if you need money for all the products at once, this is the best option. It is most often resorted to by large farms that can offer buyers large quantities of goods.
Direct sales of potatoes to retail chains and shops. This option is considered the most profitable. The entrepreneur can arrange the supply of potatoes to stores at an agreed price. Washed and packaged products are in great demand among buyers.

Important: if it is planned to grow potatoes in large volumes, it makes sense to find buyers for the products in advance. Wholesalers and manufacturers should agree on the terms on which they will cooperate. This will allow you to grow potatoes and not worry about finding distribution channels.

What documents need to be issued for potatoes?

According to the requirements of the TR of the Customs Union, potatoes must undergo a mandatory quality assessment. For this reason, manufacturers will have to have the appropriate documentation. You can get it from an accredited organization that provides product certification services. Such a body must have the right to assess the quality of food products, as well as issue the relevant documents, which are approved by Russian law. If it is planned to store potatoes, especially with the use of heating systems, a businessman will need to obtain permits for doing business in state supervision and a sanitary and epidemiological station.

Is it possible to build a business on the resale of potatoes?

Consider the idea of a business selling potatoes, associated with its implementation by the type of market dealers. Its essence lies in the fact that you need to place ads in the sleeping areas of the city for the sale of products, receive orders from customers and breed goods at the specified addresses. It should be immediately noted that the minimum order must be at least 30 kg (the volume of one mesh). To start making money, you don’t need to register an enterprise at the initial stage, spend money on renting an office space or buying a vehicle.

Earnings from the sale of one grid is about 200 rubles. Renting a truck costs about 300 rubles per hour. In order to make a profit and not work at a loss, you should manage to deliver more than 3 nets of potatoes to customers during this time. The product must be purchased in advance at wholesale markets or supermarkets. To do this, it is enough to have only a few thousand rubles of starting capital. Relatively quickly, you can reach a stable income of up to 10 thousand rubles a day, which will require daily investments in the purchase of goods of about 25 thousand. Businessmen who have already built up their client base receive up to 20 calls per hour. It is easy to calculate the possible profit per day. The best option would be to deliver potatoes simultaneously to courtyards with multi-storey buildings, where this service is most popular.

Potatoes have always been and will continue to be in high demand, which means that a business based on the cultivation of this particular crop will be profitable. We will tell you how to start it correctly in the article.

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Decor

In the modern world, only two organizational and legal forms of organization are defined for such a business:

private household plot- private household. This form is suitable for entrepreneurs who grow a small amount of potatoes on their own land. Such an enterprise does not need to be registered, taxes are not collected from it. The final product of the enterprise can be sold on the market wholesale or retail.
IP- individual entrepreneur. This form is suitable for owners of household plots who decide to expand their production and apply other schemes for selling goods. A farm growing potatoes must be registered under the code 1.13.21 “Production of agricultural products”. Registration under this code will allow the entrepreneur to use a more favorable taxation scheme such as the Unified Agricultural Tax (only 6% of net profit).

What do you need to get started?

A businessman who decides to seriously take up the cultivation of this crop must not only register an enterprise. He needs to provide the enterprise with the following necessary resources.

Earth

Of course, in order to plant potatoes, you need to know not only how to do it, but also where to plant it.

To organize your own agricultural business, an entrepreneur can use the following methods:

buy the necessary piece of land;
rent land.

planting material

The key to the success of the business being created and a large harvest, first of all, lies in the right choice of material for planting. Planting potatoes must certainly be of high quality, then the entrepreneur will be able not only to grow a good crop and seed for the next planting.

You can buy tubers using the following sales points:

shop.

The purchased variety can be planted for several years until the variety degenerates. Purchased tubers must be the same size and shape.

Potato hilling

Equipment

If we consider an agricultural company that grows potatoes in non-industrial volumes, but only for personal use and sale on the market, on a plot of about 0.3 hectares, then the following set of machinery and equipment will be required:

mini-tractor or simple walk-behind tractor;
plow;
body for a tractor;
hiller;
an additional device for a mini-tractor that allows you to dig up potatoes.

The amount of expenses for the purchase of equipment will be about 60 thousand rubles.

Fertilizers to ensure soil fertility

Without fertilizing the soil, it is impossible to grow a good crop with a sufficient size of tubers and a large weight.

Fertile black soil is not present on every plot of land, so farmers fertilize the kidney with the following substances:

ammonium sulfate;
potassium sulfate;
potassium superphosphate;
potassium permanganate;
litter;
biohumus;
ash.

The purchase of such a set of fertilizers will result in costs of about 17 rubles per 1 square meter of land.

Pest protection

The main enemy of potatoes is the Colorado potato beetle, but farmers do not advise spraying bushes ahead of time, due to the effect of chemicals on the growth of bushes. But, despite the fact that it is impossible to spray, you will have to constantly check the bushes for the absence of pests. For the purchase of funds to combat this pest, the entrepreneur will spend about 2.5 thousand rubles for every 30 acres.

Stages of growing potatoes

Growing potatoes is an agricultural business with a high payback. The time for which the culture goes through a full growing cycle is only 4 months.

The growing process itself consists of the following main stages:

preparation of tubers for subsequent planting;
soil preparation for planting crops;
disembarkation process;
hilling planted tubers;
soil fertilizer;
pest control activities;
harvesting the grown crop;
storage of harvested tubers;
packaging of final products;
potato sales.

Peculiarities

A business based on growing potatoes requires strict adherence to the growing algorithm. The volume of the harvest certainly depends on various factors, including air temperature and natural precipitation that are independent of the agrarian. If the farmer can make up for the lack of moisture, then the excess of sunlight cannot be ruled out. The lack of sunlight, of course, will not kill the crop, but it will make it small and deprive it of a marketable appearance.

Choose a site for planting potatoes, taking into account such unregulated factors.

Preparing the site for landing

Before the start of planting, which takes place in May in Russian latitudes, the soil is loosened and all weeds are removed. Do a similar treatment with a shovel or using a plow with a tractor as a draft force, depending on how large the plot has.

Seed preparation

Planting tubers must be greened by placing them in a bright place for 20 days. This method improves the ability of the crop to germinate and also prevents the material from rotting without growth.

After germination, the tubers are transferred to a dark place for 1–3 days at a high level of humidity and plus air temperature of no more than 3 degrees.

Before planting, green tubers must be removed from a dark room and allowed to germinate. The size of the sprout before planting should be more than 10 mm.

If large tubers are planted, then they must be cut into pieces, each of which will have two eyes or more. Cutting is done right before the start of germination, and the places of the cut should be sprinkled with ash, which will prevent infection of the planting material.

planting potatoes

In Russia, in its middle lane, landing begins in May, but in warmer regions, this process may occur in March or April. In northern latitudes, tubers are planted in June. Before landing, the earth should warm up and its temperature should reach 8 degrees.

I plant tubers to a depth of 10-15 cm. The distance between the bushes should be at least 10 cm, the gap between rows should be about 0.8-1 m.

plant care

Care procedures include the following:

14 days after planting, weeds are removed from the beds. Bushes spud, making sure that the crest of the soil above the planting material is no more than 10 cm.
During the flowering period, the bushes must be sprayed with chemical solutions in order to protect the greens from the beetle.
Watering the site is carried out 2-3 times a week, provided there is no natural moisture.
During the dry season, watering is done daily.
In order to maintain soil fertility after harvesting potatoes, it is sown with clover, sunflowers or corn.
Harvesting takes place immediately after ripening.
The harvested crop should be stored in dry rooms specially designed for this purpose.

Sales of harvested crops

To sell potatoes, you can use one of the following methods:

Sell your product on the market. This option is the most beneficial for the entrepreneur, but it will take a huge amount of time, which farmers already lack. In this case, you can go two ways:
1. appoint one of the employees responsible for the sale of products;
2. store the crop until autumn and sell it in the winter, when there is practically no work on the land. In winter, the price of such products is much higher, but this method is real only if the farmer has suitable warehouses.
Give grown products for sale or sell everything at a wholesale price sellers who have been selling agricultural products for a long time. This method is fast, convenient and often quite profitable.
Sale to wholesale buyers or purveyors. If the crop obtained after harvest is sufficiently voluminous. Despite the fact that the price in this case will not be so high, but the farmer will be able to sell everything in one fell swoop.
Selling goods directly to stores. The most profitable way to sell. In this case, clean, washed potatoes packaged in bags are especially appreciated.

If the farmer has a large enough plot, then you should take care of the sales markets in advance by contacting wholesalers and discussing the terms of cooperation with them. After making such arrangements, the farmer can devote himself to cultivation without worrying about marketing problems.

The financial side of the issue

Starting this type of growing business involves some material investments that will go towards:

purchase of planting material 0.5 tons - $ 700;
purchase of fertilizers and chemicals- about 200 dollars;
rental of equipment for soil development– 10 dollars per hour;
final product packaging- 75 dollars;
fuel- 500 dollars;
employee salaries- 500 dollars;
warehouse rental- $1,000 per month.
Thus, the total start-up costs will be equal to 3.5 thousand dollars. With quality planting, proper care and flowering of the crop, a farmer can get about 20 tons of potatoes, which will cost 5 thousand dollars, or maybe even more.

Pros and cons of the potato business

The benefits of this type of farming include:

in the case of growing a small batch of potatoes, the complete absence of tax deductions;
fertile rural soil may not be fertilized at all;
low cost of organic fertilizers;
the possibility of using the greenery of the bush for processing and applying to the soil as a fertilizer;
low utility bills;
unpretentiousness of potatoes to growing conditions;
low cost of pesticides;
debugged, simple and clear growing technology;
the demand for potatoes is not seasonal, but year-round;
payback period less than six months;
small starting capital.

This kind of activity also has its drawbacks:

the harvest directly depends on weather conditions, which the farmer is not always able to correct;
pests can destroy the crop, but the modern market offers many inexpensive means of dealing with them;
low-quality planting material can ruin the entire crop;
the business is seasonal, so the farmer and his employees will need a winter part-time job.

In recent years, there has been a massive migration of rural residents to cities. This is primarily due to the fact that people in the villages do not have the opportunity to work and receive decent means of living. But the situation is rather paradoxical: in the cities, people are also not welcomed with open arms, which is due to hidden unemployment. It is especially difficult for young people and people of pre-retirement age.

But, according to experts, this situation is not at all hopeless. Rural residents have a good chance to improve their well-being by translating modern business ideas into real life. And the production of potatoes is one of such progressive ideas, moreover, young people today have enough theoretical and practical skills for this. The only thing to consider is that in order for such production to be profitable, profits must be maximized through the use of high-yielding potato varieties.

Agronomic background

In developed countries, for example, in the Netherlands, where innovative technologies have been used in agriculture for decades, about 40 tons of potatoes can be harvested from 1 hectare, and in Russia - no more than 8. That is why potato cultivation must be approached wisely. Maximum yields can only be achieved on fields that have stood under green fallow for 2 years. Such a system is called a three-field system, and has repeatedly confirmed its effectiveness. Therefore, for growing potatoes, it is worth taking only such fields, and then the result will meet expectations.

There are enough such sites in central Russia. But even on rested fields without modern technologies it is almost impossible to get high yields of potatoes. For beginner agronomists, the book by O. A. Ganichkin “Getting Early Potatoes” will be very useful, where the author gives a detailed answer on why it is best to use zoned potato varieties for planting. For example, it was noticed that in the Non-Chernozem region such early ripening varieties as "Pioneer", "Vyatka" and "Lubimets" showed excellent results.

The opinion of experts that the cultivation of potatoes needs a scientific approach has found a lively response from ordinary rural residents. Many of them, having studied the relevant literature and consulted with experienced agronomists about the optimal varieties of potatoes, really managed to get higher yields of their favorite vegetable.

The most common mistakes

But not everything is so simple: you can study a lot of literature, rent good fields, and the harvest will not be so hot. Very often this happens due to the fact that infected potatoes are purchased as seeds. A similar problem is familiar to the inhabitants of Ukraine firsthand. Due to the use of low-quality sowing material, 13-16 tons of potatoes are harvested there on average, and the maximum possible figure with such soil fertility is 50 tons.

You need to buy seed potatoes only from those villagers who themselves are engaged in growing tubers in their backyard. Before buying, you should carefully inspect the tubers, which should not have any spots. You can significantly speed up the germination of potatoes. To do this, it must be placed in a dark, cool room. The potato is ready for planting when it has dark green sprouts 2 centimeters long. At this point, for safety, they can be sprayed with a solution of copper sulfate and treated with microfertilizers.

Obvious Benefit: Growing Early Potatoes

It's no secret that early potatoes are quite expensive: up to 100 rubles per kilogram. You can get it only by seedlings. For this purpose, pre-prepared potato tubers are planted in boxes, the ground level in which must be at least 10 centimeters. For this, rooms with access to daylight and a constant temperature are suitable. In this way, you can win about a month from the weather. Potatoes can be planted in the ground only when the height of the shoots reaches 7 centimeters. The seedlings are transferred to the prepared hole along with part of the earth. The optimal period is 3-4 weeks of April.

The profitability rate of such potato growing can reach 70%. It is these indicators that have been demonstrated by Belarusian agriculture for more than a decade.

According to experts, a well-rested field and high-quality seed material can provide up to a ton of harvest from one hundred square meters. But, of course, such indicators are unlikely to be available to beginners in this business. For them, the best result will be already 20 tons per hectare. It is best to start growing potatoes on a plot of half a hectare, and then you can already think about expanding. The most profitable are farms with a tuber planting area of more than 10 hectares.

Current expenses

15-25 kg of seed potatoes;
2 thousand rubles for insecticides and fertilizers;
financial resources for the transportation of seeds and crops;
the cost of regular trips to the fields;
if necessary, the labor of hired workers.

In addition, there may be unexpected costs.

If we take into account that the price per kilogram of seeds is on average 12 rubles, and the initial profitability does not exceed 30%, then the beginner's profit can be about 120-130 thousand rubles. These calculations are valid for a field of half a hectare.

In Russia, as you know, potato- the second bread. The appearance of potatoes in Russia is associated with the activities of Peter I. However, potatoes became most widespread in Russia in the 19th century. Since then, potatoes can be considered one of the favorite crops of Russians. And if not everyone loves to grow potatoes, then everyone loves to eat them. Or almost everything.

If you do not want to grow potatoes for sale on your own, we connect to potato business as an intermediary.

The essence of the idea is very simple and uncomplicated - we buy potatoes during the harvest season (August-September), we sell them at the peak of the growth in the price of potatoes - from December to June.

In the autumn of 2014, the price per kilogram of potatoes at agricultural fairs was at the level of 12-14 rubles per kilogram (this is the selling price to a retail buyer). In the winter of 2014-2015, the store price of potatoes fluctuates between 30-40 rubles. The cost of washed potatoes reaches 60 rubles and more.

Despite the difference in prices of different regions, and the inflation rate at different times, you can roughly imagine the order of the numbers. We sell 3-7 times more expensive than we buy. Inflation is not terrible for this business.

Since there are no trifles here, you need to carefully consider all stages of the business - purchase, storage, marketing.

Purchase of potatoes

There are several options here - purchase at wholesale depots, purchase from the population, purchase at agricultural fairs, purchase from farms or collective farms.

Purchasing at a wholesale base - everything is simple here. We arrive, buy, receive copies of the necessary documents for products in order to further sell them to the end consumer. When purchasing products from the population, we submit advertisements in the media about the purchase of potatoes.

We consider the purchase of potatoes directly "in the field" to be the most promising "topic". The collective farm / farm does not spend money on packaging, sorting, transportation, storage of products, so purchasing products directly “on the garden” is the most profitable option. In this case, it remains to think over the potato drying system - raw potatoes cannot be stored for storage - this creates the prerequisites for the rapid occurrence of mold. There may also be problems with the documentation for the batch of potatoes (giving the right to retail) - the farm / collective farm by this time may not have time to receive it from the relevant authorities.

It is good if you have your own freight transport. However, its absence is not an obstacle to doing this business. We go around the nearby collective farms, state farms, farms in the spring, and clarify under what conditions it is possible to purchase potatoes in the fall directly “from the garden”. Perhaps you will be offered your own transport to deliver products to your destination. In extreme cases, you can rent a car for the required number of hours.

As one of the options, you can consider the issue of cooperation with a collective farm (another farm) - for example, the storage and sorting of potatoes is carried out by the collective farm, and you are engaged in the sale of the collective farm's products and have a certain percentage from this. However, in this case, the income will be less than the “independent” business, but there will be less hassle.

You should not buy potatoes in an area where a phytosanitary quarantine zone has been established - there will be problems with sales. Information about this can be obtained in advance from the Federal Service for Veterinary and Sanitary Supervision. In the same place, by the way, you can immediately consult with regard to obtaining the necessary documentation for the sale of potatoes - in the amount of information regarding this department, you are unlikely to be refused.

Potato storage

To implement this business, you will need storage (cellar, caisson). If you have your own garage with a caisson, this is an additional plus. Although in any case, most likely you will have to rent a room, since a lot of potatoes will not fit into a standard 2m * 2m caisson.

Before storing potatoes for storage, we immediately throw out the tubers containing signs of rot - otherwise very large losses are possible in the future.

It is also necessary to periodically sort the potatoes during storage to avoid rotting, since any rot is a loss for the business.

Potatoes should be stored in dry, cool, dark, ventilated stores at a temperature of + 2C + 4C at an air humidity of 85-95%. We lay pre-dried (for example, in the sun) tubers. Usually, the height of backfilling of tubers should not exceed 1-1.5 meters, but it all depends on the ventilation system. Some experts put leaves of some plants (mountain ash, elderberry, etc.) in potatoes - this helps to prevent rot.

Potatoes can be stored "in bulk", in wooden boxes or bags.

With proper organization of storage, the percentage of culling of spoiled potatoes can be minimized.

Selling potatoes

Here we divide buyers into wholesale buyers (shops, restaurants, cafes, canteens, schools, kindergartens), and retail buyers. When selling to shops, kindergartens, etc. it is necessary to have all the documents for the potatoes sold, this is a prerequisite. In stores, products can be sold, or offered for sale on the terms of a commission agreement.

Retail buyers, as a rule, are not very interested in documents - they usually ask the question - “where are the potatoes from?”. The oral answer, as a rule, completely suits them. In principle, an ordinary consumer is more willing to buy potatoes without documents from a collective farm from his own or neighboring district of his region than potatoes from the other side of the world with documents in a store.

You can offer a discount to socially vulnerable segments of the population.

You can offer potatoes with delivery directly to the apartment, or to the cellar (caisson).

A very interesting option is the sale of washed potatoes. It is not necessary to wash the potatoes in advance, it is better to wash the potatoes immediately before the delivery of the goods to the client (at the request of the client, of course). Technically, we will not deeply consider the issue of washing - everyone can work it out on their own. Packing potatoes in containers of various sizes is also a plus - in bags of 3, 5, 10, 25 kilograms.

As a rule, if a client orders a batch of potatoes once, and the quality and price suit him completely, then in the future he becomes a regular customer.

And you need to love regular customers - periodically arrange promotions, provide discounts, etc. It is not considered bad manners to call and offer the product to a customer who purchased potatoes from you some time ago (you can offer a discount as a regular customer). Always a certain part of customers agrees to buy more. If the buyer refuses, you can clarify the reason - perhaps the client did not like the taste of potatoes. If this reason is indicated by the majority of customers, in this case, you will have to look for new suppliers.

What documents to issue for potatoes when selling it?

A declaration of conformity is issued for potatoes, it gives the right to sell potatoes on the territory of our country and the customs union. A declaration of conformity can only be issued for an organization or individual entrepreneur.

Submission of a declaration of conformity is carried out in accordance with the requirements of two current technical regulations of the Customs Union:

Technical regulation of the Customs Union TR TS 021/2011 "On food safety" (approved by the Decision of the Commission of the Customs Union dated December 9, 2011 No. 880).

Technical regulation of the Customs Union TR CU 022/2011 "Food products in terms of their labeling" (approved by the Decision of the Commission of the Customs Union of December 9, 2011 No. 881).

The applicant has the right, in addition to the declaration, to issue also a voluntary certificate for potatoes. This document is not a permit for the sale of products on the territory of Russia - it only confirms the compliance with the standards of the Russian Federation of those potato characteristics that are not subject to mandatory verification during the declaration process. Therefore, a certificate for potatoes obtained on a voluntary basis contributes exclusively to increasing the competitiveness of this product.

In the process of reviewing documents, the necessary studies and examinations of a batch of potatoes are carried out.

There is also another document - for voluntary use. This is the national standard of the Russian Federation GOST R 51808-2013 (UNECE FFV-52:2010) "Ward potatoes. Specifications", modified in relation to the UNECE standard FFV-52:2010, concerning the marketing and commercial quality control of early and ware potatoes , with the effective date of July 1, 2014 to replace GOST R 51808-2001. We recommend that you read this document as well.

In Russia, legislators are very fond of frequently changing the regulatory framework (the “priority” is land legislation, tax legislation and everything related to doing business), constantly complicating the conditions for doing small business. Since the information may become outdated at any time, the easiest way to do this is to contact the wholesale base, or the collective farm / farm for the purchase of a small batch of potatoes for resale. We ask for certified copies of documents for a batch of potatoes (it’s not a fact yet, by the way, that you will be given all the necessary documents) in order to “sell potatoes in a store without problems with regulatory authorities.” After that, we study the issued documents, contact the authorities that issued them, get the necessary advice to obtain documents for “our” batch of products.

Or you can contact the specialized organizations of your city that provide such services - the specialists of these companies will help you quickly and without bureaucratic delays to obtain all the necessary documents from government agencies.

Highly recommend to have on sale potato all necessary documents. It's not that hard to get them if you want. You still have time before the season, so you can easily find more detailed information on this issue on your own and study the necessary documents.

This business can be run by registering as an individual entrepreneur, or by opening an LLC. There is a very good video on the topic of choosing between an individual entrepreneur and an LLC with a comparative analysis of the main criteria, we recommend that you watch it. The video is located.

The food market is the future, so now it is better not to miss the chance to occupy your niche in this market.

More information on this idea for starting and running a business can be obtained.