* Calculations use average data for Russia

The agricultural business can be profitable and profitable with the right and competent approach. Growing and selling potatoes as a business is rarely considered by a novice entrepreneur. Although potatoes are an indispensable food product and are a regular guest on any table - from everyday to festive, nevertheless, the business of growing and selling this crop is considered complex, costly and highly competitive.

To be successful, it will require considerable investment, as well as knowledge and experience. Experts in the field of agricultural business provide the following data. In order to get 20-30 tons of potato crop per hectare, you need to invest from 100 thousand rubles. For comparison, up to 8 tons of wheat can be obtained from the same area. However, the costs in the case of sowing wheat will be from 5 thousand rubles per hectare, and for potatoes - more than 150 thousand rubles per hectare! The profit from the sale of 20 tons of potatoes is estimated at about 70 thousand rubles (at the latest prices, which are constantly changing in the current economic conditions). In addition, there are the latest technologies for intensive potato cultivation, which allow reaching yields of 65-70 tons per hectare. In this case, the profit can be about 900 thousand rubles.

To successfully conduct commercial activities and get the maximum profit from growing potatoes for sale, experts advise using areas for sowing at least 250 hectares. The profitability of such a project is estimated at 100-200%, and investments amount to hundreds of millions of rubles. At the same time, the payback of such a project is about 6-7 years. You need to take into account possible risks (a lean year, a decrease in potato prices, etc.) and be ready for constant investment in the development of your business.

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It is obvious that novice entrepreneurs cannot afford such a scale. But this does not mean at all that you will have to abandon your plans and look for new directions for work. You can start this business with much less investment. True, its profitability will also be significantly lower and will not exceed 60% (40% on average).

Potato growing technology

Potatoes, unlike a number of other vegetable crops, are more susceptible to the influence of weather and climatic conditions. There are two main ways to grow potatoes. In the first case, ultra-early varieties are grown in specially equipped greenhouses (thus, young potatoes go on sale in the spring), and in the second case, potatoes are grown in an open way for long-term storage and consumption in the autumn-winter period. The first option will bring you more profit, but its implementation also requires significant initial costs, which will be spent on equipping greenhouses and providing the necessary conditions for the early ripening of potatoes. The second option is more affordable for entrepreneurs with a small start-up capital, so we will start with it.

Potatoes are early maturing crops. From planting to the sale of finished products takes only four months. The technology of growing and selling potatoes involves several main stages. They include preparation of planting material, soil preparation for planting, planting itself, hilling, fertilization, pest control, cleaning, storage, packaging of finished products and its sale.

Potatoes purchased for seeds must have all the necessary documents that guarantee the absence of further diseases and high productivity. Higher requirements are imposed on such planting material. So, the diameter of the tubers should be from 3 to 5 cm. In this case, it is not allowed to mix tubers of different varieties. Plant vegetation should be 100%, and their reproduction should be stable and high. If the reproduction of varietal potatoes does not reach the second stage according to the established standards, but it is forbidden to use it for seeds.

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Planting material is prepared in the fall. To do this, the potatoes are sorted out, leaving only whole, clean medium-sized potatoes without signs of spoilage and diseases. The tubers selected for planting must be "greened" in advance. To do this, they are left in the light for about twenty days. Moreover, direct sunlight is strictly contraindicated for potatoes. The light must be diffused. As a result of "greening", the seed qualities of potatoes are improved, and the material itself becomes less prone to rotting. After sprouting, the potatoes are stored for storage in a room where sunlight does not enter. The warehouse should maintain an optimum temperature of +1 to +3 degrees and humidity of about 80-90%.

About a month before the planned sowing, the potatoes are transferred to a bright and warm room, where they begin to germinate. The size of the sprout before planting should be from one centimeter. As a rule, a medium size is chosen for planting, but if large tubers are found in the material, then it is divided into parts - in half or into quarters so that each part has at least two or three eyes. Tubers are cut two weeks before germination or immediately before it. To protect the tubers from disease and spoilage, the cuts can be covered with tree resin. Note that with large volumes of tubers, no one manually sorts out and, moreover, they do not process them additionally. Preparation of planting material is carried out automatically, and tubers of the same size are selected for planting.

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The timing of planting potatoes depends on the temperature of the soil. In the middle lane, potatoes are planted in May, in the south - from March, and in the northern regions - at the beginning of summer. Determining the readiness of the soil is easy. It should be warmed up to 8 degrees to a depth of 12 cm. The soil for planting must also be prepared in advance. In small areas, it is dug up with shovels or loosened with pitchforks. Of course, on an area of ​​several hectares, manual labor is excluded. For this, special equipment is used - a plow with a walk-behind tractor or a tractor. Previously, it was recommended to turn the soil over, that is, to swap its lower and upper layers. Now experts advise only to loosen the topsoil, which provides unhindered access to air and moisture tubers. Under such conditions, the root and bush parts of the plant will develop fully. For processing and loosening the soil, milling units with additional nozzles are used.

Potatoes are planted in rows at a distance of at least a meter between bushes. Row spacing for early varieties should ideally be about 65-70 cm, and for late varieties - 75-80 cm. Compliance with these requirements is necessary for the normal development of bushes and to facilitate the process of processing plants and harvesting with the help of machinery. With such a row spacing, high loosening by milling units does not harm the root system of plants. However, most farmers prefer to increase planting density by all means in order to save space, and make the row spacing a maximum of 40-50 cm. As a result, this saving turns out to be doubtful, since when loosening the soil, developing roots are subsequently cut, as a result of which the vegetation process slows down greatly, and tubers exposed due to lack of soil turn green in the sun.

The tubers are planted to a depth of 4 to 8 cm with the formation of a ridge about 10 cm high on top. When planting seed potatoes, in accordance with the technological standard, there should be at least thirty bushes per square meter of land. In order to achieve such a density, at the stage of preparing the planting material, those that have sprouted at least five eyes are selected from heated and germinated tubers, which means that they can produce the required number of main stems. About a couple of weeks after planting, it is necessary to remove the weeds from the field and spud the sprouts. At the same time, the soil ridge above the potatoes is increased by another 10 cm. Thus, as a result, the height of the ridge is, in general, 20-25 cm, and its base is at least 75 cm. The soil during the formation of the ridge should be loose and soft, since it is in it that potato shoots will develop. Water the potatoes two to three times a week if there is no rain. In the southern regions, with severe drought, it is recommended to water daily. In cloudy weather and high humidity, the frequency of watering can be reduced.

Do not forget about the use of fertilizers for growing potatoes. The best organic fertilizer is cow or horse manure, which is applied to the soil even before planting and thoroughly mixed with the top layer of the earth. The use of chemical fertilizers deserves special attention. When using organic fertilizers, if the soil is not depleted, you can do without them. After harvesting potatoes, it is recommended to sow the field with any green manure crops. They belong to the so-called "green fertilizers". These are plants that are grown for the purpose of their subsequent incorporation into the soil to improve its structure, enrich it with nitrogen and inhibit the growth of weeds. These include sunflower, corn, clover, legumes, etc. (about four hundred plant species in total).

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When potato bushes bloom, they are treated with solutions of Colorado potato beetles, the main crop pests that can ruin the entire crop. In addition, it is recommended to carry out the prevention of late blight by spraying plants with special preparations. The treatment of landings is carried out at least 5-6 times with strict observance of the alternation of means recommended by the manufacturers of preparations. Abroad, when cultivating planting material, indirect methods of protecting plants from viral infection are also used. To do this, aphids are destroyed in advance with the help of chemicals. In our country, such processing of seed potatoes is extremely rare (again, in order to save money). We fight against the spread of diseases, mainly by removing infected plants during weeding.

Harvesting of potatoes is carried out immediately after the ripening of the tubers, which can significantly increase its shelf life and preserve all the useful qualities of the product. Harvested potatoes are stored in specially equipped warehouses, where a certain temperature and humidity level is maintained.

The yield of potatoes depends on many factors, but the varieties used can be attributed to the main one. For example, Dutch types of potatoes belong to highly productive varieties. If, for example, high-yielding domestic varieties yield about 20-30 tons per hectare, even with insufficient compliance with technological requirements, then the yield of Dutch varieties with the same care is about 30-40 tons per hectare. Although, for example, the same Dutch varieties are not in great demand among Russian potato farms. The fact is that our compatriots prefer to save on observing the cultivation technology, greatly simplifying it and limiting themselves to three main manipulations - planting, hilling and harvesting. In addition, not everyone can afford to purchase high-quality planting material, often using degenerated potatoes for several seasons. Particular attention is not paid to the prevention of infection of plants with late blight and the fight against it, and the level of technical equipment of farms, as a rule, leaves much to be desired. Meanwhile, experts are confident that a competent approach and the right choice of planting material are the main conditions for the success of a potato growing business.

As for the cost of seed materials, about 40 kg (that is, about 600 tubers) will be required per hundred square meters. The exact amount depends on the average weight of the tubers and the planting pattern you are using.

Legal and accounting issues of running an agricultural business

In the event that the land where you plan to grow potatoes for personal use or for sale in small quantities is owned by you and belongs to the category of private household plots (personal subsidiary plots), you can not register as an entrepreneur and simply sell your products ( or rather its surplus) in the retail market. However, you should not count on big profits in this case. If you want to have not just additional income, but a profitable business, you will have to register as an individual entrepreneur. When registering, you will need to select an OKVED code. In our case, the coding 01.11.2 “Growing potatoes, table root crops and tuber crops with a high content of starch or inulin” is suitable (relevant for 2015). This group includes the cultivation of potatoes, the cultivation of table root and tuber crops with a high content of starch or inulin, the cultivation of seeds and planting material, including elite and reproduction, intended for sale.

The unified agricultural tax (UAT), which is 6% of net profit, is one of the most profitable. As the name implies, only agricultural producers, that is, enterprises or individual entrepreneurs who themselves produce these products and sell them, can pay the UAT. If you already have an operating enterprise and want to switch to the Unified Agricultural Tax, then the amount of income from the sale of agricultural products should be at least 70% of your total income. For producers of agricultural products, there are two taxation regimes - general and special. There are certain differences between them. Enterprises paying taxes under the general taxation regime must pay VAT, unified social tax, property tax (for property used for the production and storage of finished agricultural products, there is a privilege), transport tax (for trucks and agricultural machinery there are also benefits ), transport tax (a relief is provided for trucks and agricultural machinery), income tax (a preferential tax rate on profits from the sale of agricultural products), land tax, tax on the extraction of minerals, tax on the use of water bodies and environmental pollution.

Individual entrepreneurs who switch to a single agricultural tax are exempted from paying personal income tax, VAT (except for imports), property tax, and enterprises and organizations that have chosen this taxation system are exempted from paying VAT (except for imports), property tax and tax on profit. All other fees are paid as under other taxation systems, but the benefits for agricultural enterprises are obvious.

You can switch to the ESHN if you are an agricultural producer and fall under the above requirements, both in a general manner, by submitting an appropriate application to the Federal Tax Service in the period from October 20 to December 31 of the current year, and individually - within thirty days after registration as individual entrepreneurs or legal entity. In the first case, your enterprise will switch to the ESHN from the new calendar year, and in the second case, when registering with the Federal Tax Service. Keep in mind that during the year you will not be able to opt out of the taxation system you have chosen. But there is also the possibility of forced cancellation of the Unified Agricultural Tax in the event that your company begins to conduct activities that are not related to agriculture, or the share of sales of agricultural products becomes less than 70%.

It is also worth considering the fact that the expenses of an individual entrepreneur or an enterprise that conducts agricultural activities are limited to spending on the acquisition of fixed assets, wages of employees and advertising with the obligatory maintenance of a book of income and expenses. Only those funds that come to your current account or to the cash desk of the enterprise are considered income.

Business plan for growing and selling potatoes

Let us consider in more detail what an entrepreneur will need to organize his own economy. To process a small plot of 30 acres (personal subsidiary farming), you will need a mini-tractor (or walk-behind tractor), a plow for it, a hiller for a mini-tractor, a body for transporting goods using a mini-tractor, and a device for digging potatoes. This equipment will cost 100 thousand rubles.

If we are talking not about hundreds, but about hectares, then the cost of equipment will, of course, be much higher. So, you will need a harvester, which costs about 350 thousand euros, a planter worth about 100 thousand euros. Is it worth saving on equipment? You can also purchase obsolete equipment from Soviet times, but the savings in this case will be doubtful. Old technology is constantly breaking down. In addition, its use leads to loss and damage to the crop. New Russian-made equipment is cheaper than imported, while not much inferior to the latter in terms of quality and productivity. Therefore, it is better to purchase it, rather than used and obsolete equipment.

Additional costs are associated with the cleaning of the harvested potatoes from contamination, their sorting, packaging and transportation. For a small farm, these investments will amount to about 10 thousand rubles. For drying washed potatoes, a shed or shed with a slatted floor is suitable. For packaging, you can use packing bags made of dense porous polyethylene, a stapler for sealing bags with staples, strips of thick cardboard and labels 25 by 8 cm in size, which you can print on your printer. The process of peeling and packing potatoes is quite simple - a couple of people can handle it.

First, the crop is moved, and all spoiled potatoes are removed from the total mass. The selected potatoes are then soaked in a container of water. An hour later, the water changes. This procedure is repeated two or three more times until the potato is completely cleaned of contamination. The potatoes are then laid out to dry on a slatted floor and left to dry completely. Finally, the finished product is packed into bags and weighed (the average weight of a “portioned” bag of potatoes is about 2-4 kg). The upper part of the packaging bag is wrapped several times around a cardboard strip, which gives it rigidity and prevents tears, and then it is stapled in two or three places with a label previously inserted under the polyethylene.

But large manufacturing enterprises will have to spend a lot of money on ensuring a constant water supply, acquiring large containers (baths) for washing products, equipping a room for drying potatoes, buying scales, as well as packaging bags and labels. However, these costs are worth it. Experience shows that clean, selected potatoes are twice as popular as dirty and unwashed ones.

Additional costs are associated with the purchase of seed, fertilizers and means for treating potatoes from pests (Colorado potato beetle) and diseases. For a small farm, this item of expenditure is about 10-15 thousand rubles. From one hundred square meters you can collect, on average, 250-300 kg of potatoes. Even from a relatively small area of ​​30 acres, you can collect about 7500 kg of products. Thus, the wholesale sale of potatoes can bring an income of about 180 thousand rubles. Excluding taxes and contributions to the pension fund, the entrepreneur's net profit will be from 70 thousand rubles.

Potatoes from personal subsidiary plots are sold, as a rule, in food markets. Also, many entrepreneurs give their products for sale or rent to wholesalers. The latter option is suitable only for large farms, since wholesale prices are much lower than market prices. In addition, you can sell your potatoes to grocery stores, retail chains and individual retail outlets. Large enterprises work mainly with wholesale depots. Regardless of the volumes you are going to work in, if you are an individual entrepreneur or a legal entity, draw up your version of the contract in advance, which specifies the terms for the delivery of products and receipt of payment for it, prices and other important conditions for cooperation. Keep in mind that the highest prices for potatoes are observed in the spring.

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Every person has been familiar with potatoes since childhood. We eat it in different forms, and many make money from it. Consider growing potatoes as a business, its profitability and professional reviews.

Business Advantages and Disadvantages

Growing potatoes as a business has its pros and cons. First of all, it is high profitability. The product is always in demand in the market. This is especially felt in large cities where people do not have their own land plots.

Also, the potato business is undemanding to the initial investment. Even in the case of large-scale production, it will be possible to get by with the purchase of several tractors as harvesting equipment. Of course, the machinery will need maintenance and fuel to work, and the soil needs to be periodically rested, but the profitability of the enterprise covers these costs. In this case, no special skills are required to get started at all.

Perhaps the main drawback is the distinct seasonality of the business - you can grow crops only in the summer. To level this shortcoming, it is possible to build special greenhouses in which vegetables are grown all year round, but in this case, investments will increase significantly.

For growing potatoes, a detailed business plan can be downloaded from.

Registration and legal issues

Registration of this entrepreneurial activity is not always mandatory. For example, if the land on which the crop is grown falls under the category of personal subsidiary farming, and the surplus potatoes are sold on the market, then it is not necessary to register a business. However, large profits with this approach will not be achieved.

If we are talking about the desire to have a profitable potato growing business, then the first thing to do is register as an individual entrepreneur. One of the stages of this process is the choice of the OKVED code. Required is 01.11.2, it includes not only the cultivation of potatoes for sale, but also allows the sale of planting material.

The most profitable taxation system in this business is the Unified Agricultural Tax or UAT, which is 6% of net profit. The form is available only for those who are engaged in independent production and subsequent sale of agricultural products. If you already have an existing enterprise that is planned to be transferred to the UAT, it is necessary that the share of income from potatoes is at least 70% of the total.

There are two options for taxation - general and special, each has its own characteristics. In the first case, the company will also have to pay VAT, taxes on property used for work, transport tax and the unified social tax, as well as a number of others.

If the company switches to the Unified Agricultural Tax, it is exempted from the need to pay personal income tax, and also receives a number of other financial relief. This alone makes the variant much more attractive than prose.

To switch to the Unified Agricultural Tax in the Russian Federation, you will need to submit an application to the Federal Tax Service. The deadline for filing an application on a general basis is October 20-December 31, on an individual basis - within a month from the date of registration as a legal entity. Important: the timing of the transition to the tax varies. In the first case, this will happen at the beginning of the new calendar year, and in the second case, it will take place in parallel with registration with the Federal Tax Service.

An equally important point: you can change the form of taxation during the year. If the enterprise ceases to conduct activities in the field of agriculture or its priorities change, so that it no longer meets the requirements, the cancellation of the EAT is made involuntarily, which should be avoided.

In the mentioned system of taxation, expenses are understood as all costs for the acquisition of means of production, salaries to employees and advertising. All expenses must be entered in the ledger. Income refers to the funds received by the cashier or to the company's bank account.

Work technology

The organization of potato production involves work in several stages.

It all starts when the soil warms up to at least 8 degrees Celsius - agronomists consider this temperature to be optimal for planting a vegetable.

Peculiarities

Unlike most other horticultural crops, potatoes are much more susceptible to weather conditions. There are two main ways to grow a vegetable for sale: in special greenhouses, which allows you to start selling as early as early spring, and in an open way.

The advantage of the second method is a longer shelf life, but the first option is much more profitable. Unfortunately, more will be spent on it, since the equipment is not cheap. That is why many aspiring entrepreneurs prefer the first method.

Potato is an early ripening crop, only 3-4 months pass from planting to harvest. The very technology of growing vegetables for sale implies a phased work: soil preparation, planting, fertilization and care, harvesting, storage and sale or production of by-products.

For the first cycle of work, you will need to purchase planting material. He must have accompanying documents proving high fertility and the absence of diseases. Most often, the tubers of these varieties are small, only 3-5 cm in diameter. Important: it is strictly forbidden to mix potatoes of different varieties. In the event that the reproduction of potatoes does not reach the second stage, then it is prohibited to use it for breeding.

First stage

The initial stage is the preparation of the soil for planting. It involves the removal of weeds, plowing the site, as well as the purchase of varietal potatoes for planting. It is recommended to select the strongest medium-sized young potatoes for sowing. Larger ones can be cut into several pieces.

Planting material is folded for some time in a well-lit room for 3 weeks so that direct sunlight does not fall on the potatoes. The optimal storage parameters are 3 degrees of heat and humidity at 85%. Before planting, the potatoes are taken out into the light and waiting for the first sprouts to appear. The main thing is not to overdo it, no one needs dried potatoes.

Planting and growing

It is important to remember that planting potatoes should be carried out at the right time, selected taking into account the temperature regime - this is the only way to grow a bountiful harvest. The tubers are placed in the ground at a distance of approximately 15 cm from each other and at the same depth.

From the moment the flowering ends, the potatoes will need to be watered additionally. Depending on weather conditions, this will have to be done every few days. In some severe cases, when nature does not indulge in rain, this will have to be done twice a day, in the morning and in the evening. It is important to control the condition of the tops - this will help to avoid excessive moisture or drying out of the soil.

Experts strongly do not recommend neglecting the means of processing and destroying pests. One of the most effective means is to sow the field. This will simultaneously reduce the number of pests and help improve the overall condition of the soil on the site.

Harvesting should not be delayed, as overripe fruits are less susceptible to storage and more often rot. After harvesting, the tubers are put into a container and taken away for storage in a dry, cool room.

landing area

According to experts, for a successful potato business, a plot of at least 250 hectares will be required. However, land alone is not enough - it is required that the land be fertile. In addition, it is mandatory to prepare it for planting, that is, it is cleaned of debris and weeds, loosened and fertilized.

The best option is to break the whole process into several stages. Remember that in this case, savings on feeding will result in lost profits when selling goods. As a result, no harvest will be able to recoup the costs.

Sale

There are several main ways to sell crops:

1. Market trade on their own. This option is justified only for relatively small production volumes. Proper storage conditions and sufficient time must also be available. Among the advantages of this option is the fact that in this way you can find wholesale customers.
2. Delivery for sale (to a processing plant for starch, etc.). This project is slightly preferable when it comes to large parties. Its main disadvantage is the large losses in financial terms. You can use it only in cases where the quality of the potatoes is kept at the level. In addition, sometimes there are difficulties in finding a processor (for example, a distillery that will purchase a large batch).
3. Conclusion of an agreement with a trading network. This option is optimal, but it is rather difficult to work with retail chains, since competition in this area is high. According to statistics, about half of all domestic potatoes are sold through large stores. An important point: it is highly advisable to purchase appropriate packaging equipment in advance, since the price of potatoes in a package is much higher than in a regular bag. The cost of appropriate devices will pay for itself very quickly.

Whichever option you choose, you should think about distribution channels in advance. This will not only save time at the implementation stage, but also prevent the product from being lost due to the fact that there is nowhere to sell it.

Business Profitability

Compared to working with most other crops, the potato business is highly profitable. The initial costs can be recouped in just the first few months. The main thing is the correct construction of the business and the establishment of distribution channels. According to experts, the profitability of the enterprise can reach 150%.

The main costs in this case fall on the lease or purchase of land from 2.5 hectares, which will be about 20% of all investments. The necessary agricultural machinery will require another 25% of the budget. Slightly less will go to the payroll. Planting material will cost an additional 20%, the same amount will require transportation costs, fuel for machinery, organics and fertilizers.

Despite the seemingly large investments, it must be understood that the amount will decrease from year to year, since the purchase of equipment is a one-time waste, and the costs of its operation are not so high. In addition, the planting material will be its own from the second year, which is especially beneficial.

A separate plus is the possibility of processing potatoes. Of course, this will require a significant expansion and modification of production by installing additional production lines (for example, to produce potato flour or alcohol), but the final result will give profit at a fundamentally new level.

Meanwhile, the potato itself is a demanding crop that requires competent processing and storage conditions. She does not allow a careless attitude towards herself, which can be understood from the numerous reviews on the Web.

Business plan

Separately, it should be noted a business plan for growing potatoes for business planning. It includes a list of expenses and income. The first can be entered in the table (prices are approximate):

Video: growing potatoes for sale as a business.

What is the article about?

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, moreover, 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:

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• 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 potato itself 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 12 thousand rubles will have to be spent 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 collect 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 growing 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.

Frequently asked Questions

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:

1. 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).
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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 do not 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 developed 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.

In Russia, the economic situation continues to be tense. Most of the population lives in difficult living conditions, many have to turn to independent, for personal needs, food production. In addition, labor resources are now being released, some of which could be engaged in agriculture and start a business in this area. The first and fundamental question that inevitably arises before such people will be the question of what to produce?

If you decide to open your own, you need to analyze the market and find the niche that you can fill, and you can get down to business!

Here are some ideas:

1. Now there is a great shortage of seeds of spicy crops (except for traditional ones);
2. For beginners, not too costly and not difficult crops to grow: horseradish, Jerusalem artichoke, stakhis, katran;
3. It is difficult to find varietal garlic in Russia;
4. Rarely found in the sale of parsley root;
5. In large cities it is difficult to find varieties of elite seed potatoes (mostly table potatoes are sold), although the varieties Condor, Red, Nevsky, Roko, Impala, Timo, Blueberry, Romano, Scarlett are very popular.

Take, for example, the Condor variety. The value of this variety: high marketability and productivity of tubers. It is drought-resistant, mid-early, for table purposes. The average weight of a marketable tuber is 132 g. The average marketable yield for the Central region is 257c/ha (from 184 to 330c/ha), which is higher than the Nevsky standard. The beginning of fruiting of high-quality Condor potatoes is 70 days (on average) after planting. Let's try to calculate what costs we will need to grow potatoes of this variety on 1 acre of land and how profitable such a business will be.

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How much planting material is required, what is its price?

To plant potatoes on 1 acre of land (10 * 10 m), it is necessary to form beds, 120 cm wide, the distance between the beds is 70 cm. 10 m \u003d 1000 cm - the width of the plot. 120 + 70 = 190 cm (one bed with inter-bed); 1000/190=5.26 We get 5 beds 10 m long. In such beds, potatoes are planted in 2 rows, the distance between the bushes is 45 cm. 1000/45 = 22.22. 25-30 cm remain at the indent from the edge of the bed. We get 5 beds of 22 bushes in 2 rows: 22 * ​​2 * 5 \u003d 220 (bushes).

Total: For planting potatoes on 1 acre of land, 220 seed tubers will be required. In kilograms, with an average tuber weight of 132 g, it turns out: 0.132 * 220 \u003d 29.04. Rounded up - 30 kg. Average price for 1000 kg = 400.94 dollars; for 1 kg \u003d 400.94 / 1000 \u003d 0.40094 dollars. At a rate of 1 dollar = 32.27 rubles, it turns out: 0.40094 * 32.27 = 12.94; 30 (kg) * 12.94 (rub) \u003d 388.2 (rub). For the purchase of only planting material for 1 weave of Condor potatoes, 388 rubles will be required. 20 kop.

The yield of Condor potatoes for the Central region is 257 q/ha, which corresponds to 257 kg/cell, i.e. planting 30 kg of potatoes per 100 square meters, we get 257 kg of crop, which is 8.5 times more. Of these, 30 kg will need to be left for the next landing, the difference will be: 257-30=227 (kg). When selling the difference from grown potatoes at the same price, we get: 227 * 12.94 = 2937.38 (rubles) - net profit. Of course, when you are just starting a business, the profitability is higher, because. Increasing turnover also requires additional costs (wages, taxes, rent, equipment, storage, etc.). And at the initial stage, you have to do everything yourself, which reduces costs: buy, grow, sell, distribute the earnings.

This calculation is relevant if you have your own land plot, when there is no need to pay rent. Also, when planting potatoes, it is necessary to apply fertilizers, if at the initial stage they are harvested independently, they can also not be included in financial costs. Planting can be done in the following way: 1 tablespoon is added to the hole. ash and a glass of organic matter and a potato tuber is laid.

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Risk or what can lead to crop loss?

Potatoes, like other plants, are susceptible to a number of diseases. Variety Condor is resistant to cancer, but is affected by late blight above average, moderately susceptible to common scab and viral diseases. To get a harvest, it is necessary to carry out the prevention of these diseases. Early planting not only ensures an early harvest, but also saves on chemical protection. It is possible to harvest the crop even before the outbreak of late blight, which is dangerous for this variety, and before the onset of the period of greatest damage in the Colorado potato beetle (it starts from the end of July), when potatoes are damaged in the fields by the larvae of all four of its generations.

No need to explain what a potato is. For the majority of the population, this is the second bread. In some families, potatoes are always on the table. In a word, this vegetable is in great demand in our country. Therefore, rural youth, before going to the city to work, should think about such an idea as growing and selling potatoes.

Business Advantages and Disadvantages

Like any other business, growing potatoes for sale has its pros and cons.

But there is no problem that cannot be solved.

pros

• When selling in small volumes from your own garden, as a rule, no tax is paid.
• Fertility of rural land.
• Cheap fertilizers.
• Local residents are happy to get a job with an entrepreneur for a small salary.
• Potato tops are processed into humus.
• Electricity and water at minimum rates.
• Potato is a hardy plant.
• High demand for products all year round.
• Early potatoes are an expensive product.
• Payback in four months.
• Small investment.

Minuses

• Weather dependent. The heat is bad for the culture. But the lack of moisture will be compensated by watering, and the irrigation system, which will have to be bought, will protect from sunlight. This device will spray the leaves.
• A small amount of sun affects the size of the vegetable, it will become small and will not survive the winter. But as practice shows, we always have enough sun, so the risk is minimal.
• Pests. There are many remedies on the market to combat them.
• Planting infected potatoes will destroy the entire crop, so take only proven planting material.
• Seasonal business. In winter, you can work anywhere.

How to start a potato business?

Having dealt with these questions, you can start working.

Growing and selling potatoes

Attention novice potato businessmen are offered the following work plan.

• Prepare the ground in autumn. Remove debris, loosen and fertilize the soil.
• Prepare material for planting. It must be undamaged and the fruit must have at least two eyes. Place the vegetables in a bright place for three weeks so that they turn green. Then move to a dark cold room. Before planting, hold the potatoes for a month in a warm, bright place until sprouts appear.
• Plant potatoes.
• As soon as the bushes bloom, pest control begins by spraying with a solution.
• Harvest and store in a dry and ventilated area.
• Sell ​​potatoes. Desire to find a buyer in advance. Draw up a non-binding contract.

Of course, in order to succeed, you will have to invest a lot of work and care for the harvest. But it's worth it. The business of growing and selling potatoes deserves the attention of the villagers. Although the competition is huge, but the city is not small. This product is always in the first place among the population, so there will be no problems with the implementation. The main thing here is the presentation.