The production of frozen potato semi-finished products at the Tolochin Cannery has increased by almost 2.5 times
The promising nature of investment projects is always assessed by their economic efficiency. This is especially important where large-scale and financially costly import substitution projects are undertaken to strengthen the country's food security. Growing and processing agricultural products, reducing their cost, and producing exclusive Belarusian goods are the main goals for enterprises operating in the agricultural sector. In the Vitebsk region, 23 projects in animal husbandry and 15 projects in agricultural product processing are currently being implemented. All of them are supported by the state.
The production of Belarusian french fries has proven to be a promising venture.
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko:
— The shock reconfiguration in global political, economic, and financial relations compels every country to think not only about protective and compensatory measures. We need to calculate the strategic prospects for the development of the national economy (and thus the state), that is, to look into the future.
At a meeting on improving the planning and control system for the implementation of strategic projects, October 20, 2023
Examples of effective management are proof of correctly chosen economic guidelines and a successful combination of production tactics and strategy. In the first two months of the current year, RUP "Tolochin Cannery" showed a positive trend: the growth rate of frozen potato semi-finished product production compared to the same period in 2023 reached almost 230 percent. Indicators are also increasing in March. And the new french fries and wedges production workshop, built in accordance with the State Program of Innovative Development two years ago, helps manufacturers achieve such results. The chief economist of the enterprise, Elena Novikova, reported:
— Since the beginning of 2024, we have produced almost 700 tons of in-demand products. We have mastered about a dozen types of french fries and various potato wedges. We work with almost all leading public catering and retail trade enterprises in Belarus. Long-term contracts have been concluded with foreign partners — approximately 50 percent of the manufactured semi-finished products are exported to the Russian Federation. Trial batches of products have also been supplied to Abkhazia and Kazakhstan.
The production of Belarusian french fries (which accounts for over 70 percent of all volumes produced by the workshop) has proven to be a promising venture. Thanks to state support, Tolochin Cannery was able to timely occupy a vacant niche in the market. Demand for the product is growing. To fully satisfy it, this season the enterprise's potato growers decided to carry out a strategic redistribution ofarable land.
— We have calculated all the nuances, assessed the prospects and came to the conclusion: it is necessary to reduce the plantations of food potatoes, on which demand is falling, — Elena Novikova shares her plans. — This will make it possible, without changing the overall structure of fields and crops, to double the sowing areas of varieties that are most optimal for the production of french fries, from almost 400 to 800 hectares.
By the way, currently the Tolochin Cannery, which is the largest potato producer in the country, allocates 1100 hectares for its planting annually. Last year, they harvested almost 50.5 thousand tons of tubers here. The raw materials obtained for the production of semi-finished products, as processors expect, will be enough until the new harvest.
There are new projects ahead. Now the Tolochin residents are building a new modern potato storage facility for 20 thousand tons. And in August-September, the enterprise's first-ever drip irrigation system for a garden of 120 hectares will be commissioned. Practically half of the apple trees will be able to receive life-giving moisture in the required volume. As a result, an increase in fruit-bearing of trees, a significant improvement in the quality of the harvest itself, and an improvement in the marketable appearance of the apples.
President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko:
— The shock reconfiguration in global political, economic, and financial relations compels every country to think not only about protective and compensatory measures. We need to calculate the strategic prospects for the development of the national economy (and thus the state), that is, to look into the future.
At a meeting on improving the planning and control system for the implementation of strategic projects, October 20, 2023
Examples of effective management are proof of correctly chosen economic guidelines and a successful combination of production tactics and strategy. In the first two months of the current year, RUP "Tolochin Cannery" showed a positive trend: the growth rate of frozen potato semi-finished product production compared to the same period in 2023 reached almost 230 percent. Indicators are also increasing in March. And the new french fries and wedges production workshop, built in accordance with the State Program of Innovative Development two years ago, helps manufacturers achieve such results. The chief economist of the enterprise, Elena Novikova, reported:
— Since the beginning of 2024, we have produced almost 700 tons of in-demand products. We have mastered about a dozen types of french fries and various potato wedges. We work with almost all leading public catering and retail trade enterprises in Belarus. Long-term contracts have been concluded with foreign partners — approximately 50 percent of the manufactured semi-finished products are exported to the Russian Federation. Trial batches of products have also been supplied to Abkhazia and Kazakhstan.
The production of Belarusian french fries (which accounts for over 70 percent of all volumes produced by the workshop) has proven to be a promising venture. Thanks to state support, Tolochin Cannery was able to timely occupy a vacant niche in the market. Demand for the product is growing. To fully satisfy it, this season the enterprise's potato growers decided to carry out a strategic redistribution ofarable land.
— We have calculated all the nuances, assessed the prospects and came to the conclusion: it is necessary to reduce the plantations of food potatoes, on which demand is falling, — Elena Novikova shares her plans. — This will make it possible, without changing the overall structure of fields and crops, to double the sowing areas of varieties that are most optimal for the production of french fries, from almost 400 to 800 hectares.
By the way, currently the Tolochin Cannery, which is the largest potato producer in the country, allocates 1100 hectares for its planting annually. Last year, they harvested almost 50.5 thousand tons of tubers here. The raw materials obtained for the production of semi-finished products, as processors expect, will be enough until the new harvest.
There are new projects ahead. Now the Tolochin residents are building a new modern potato storage facility for 20 thousand tons. And in August-September, the enterprise's first-ever drip irrigation system for a garden of 120 hectares will be commissioned. Practically half of the apple trees will be able to receive life-giving moisture in the required volume. As a result, an increase in fruit-bearing of trees, a significant improvement in the quality of the harvest itself, and an improvement in the marketable appearance of the apples.