Russia within three years may reach self-sufficiency in potato seeds

Russian agricultural companies need approximately 3 years to reach full self-sufficiency in potato seeds, said Sergey Lupekhin, Chairman of the Potato Union of Russia.

“As of today, the Russian companies are not refusing to supply seeds from abroad. All varieties used for processing in Russia – whether it’s fries or chips – it’s all foreign selections, so we can’t do without imports yet. At the same time, laboratories are gaining strength and seed production is actively developing,” noted Sergey Lupekhin.

According to his statement, this year potato crops in Russia amounted to 300 thousand hectares against 270 thousand hectares in 2021. This, in turn, led to an increase in the potato harvest, as a result of which prices for it went down. Nevertheless, due to unfavorable weather conditions in some regions of the country the supply of potatoes has decreased and prices have gone up.

Source: TASS