Belarusian french fries are planned to be produced in Tolochin

This year, the largest plantation in the republic, spanning 900 hectares at the Tolochin Cannery, plans to harvest about 40 thousand tons of new crop potatoes.

To date, about 40% of the area has been harvested here, with a yield of 420 centners per hectare. "Evrotorg" collects 80 tons daily, and a line of trucks from Russia is waiting for their turn to be loaded. By the way, last year, 21 thousand tons of Tolochin potatoes were sent to the neighboring country!

And while Europe is actively reducing the production of the "second bread," the opportunities in the Russian and Belarusian markets are growing. Interestingly, they are not dependent on oil prices, currency fluctuations, etc. Quality products will always be in demand and will fetch a good price. Therefore, the profitability of sales here is high – almost 40%.

The trust of Belarusian and Russian consumers is the result of the excellent quality of the tubers. The enterprise's director, Anatoly Anyukhovsky, is convinced that only super-elite seeds should be used to ensure that the output is not below elite. And the enterprise's agronomists add that potato cultivation is impossible without adhering to all technological processes. It is extremely important to grow seed material in clean soil, as well as to place the tuber in a "featherbed," and tightly: this protects against drought. By the way, potatoes are not sprouted here – the production volumes are too large. Specialists at the Tolochin Cannery strictly adhere to crop rotation rules to prevent the spread of root crop diseases. They carry out the chemical treatment provided by the technology and treat against late blight.

Moreover, the elite farm operates on a scientific basis, adhering to all requirements from planting schemes to crop harvesting. Currently, the best mid-season and late-ripening potatoes in the Pridvinsk region, grown in close cooperation with the Potato Institute of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, continue to mature here. Early-ripening varieties have already been successfully sold through the republic's retail network. "This year, market trends have turned in favor of the domestic consumer," says Anatoly Anyukhovsky. "If previously it was only 3% of the total volume of potatoes sold, now it is significantly more. And with prepayment. Live money allows us to modernize, acquire equipment, and pay people a decent wage." It is interesting that over time, the taste preferences of Russians and Belarusians are also changing. In the past and the season before last, all attention was focused on 'Red Scarlet' with red skin, but today, the domestic white 'Breeze' is preferred for the table.

The cannery sells a significant portion of the harvest during the harvesting period – storage facilities allow for the storage of no more than 24 thousand tons. Incidentally, two modern potato storage facilities, each with a capacity of 12 thousand tons and equipped with European ventilation systems, were recently commissioned in Tolochin. The Dutch type of potato storage was taken as a basis. Potatoes are packed on the installed production lines, ranging from 2.5 to 25 kg. Washing and machine polishing of tubers are carried out on the latest equipment. And although washed and polished potatoes, almost to a shine, have not yet gained mass popularity, there is still demand for them: about 400 tons were sold last year.

So-called non-liquid potatoes are processed into starch in our own workshop, a structural unit of the plant. Since ordinary food potatoes bring the maximum profit, the development and modernization of the starch workshop are carried out in such a way that this branch does not become a burden for the more profitable one.

Meanwhile, as the progressive owner-based approaches of the plant's management to the development of production strategies continue to prove themselves, another interesting project is expected. Documentation is being prepared for the construction of a new workshop for the production of frozen, practically ready-to-eat french fries. Such production will be unique for Belarus and so far the only one in the post-Soviet space. After all, it is no secret that both our public catering and ordinary consumers use foreign semi-finished products. According to Anatoly Anyukhovsky, there is already interest in this product, not only from Belarus and Russia. Therefore, already next year, the testing of potato varieties suitable for freezing will begin.

Olga Lebedeva, "Vitebskiye Vesti".