Potato growing business. All the intricacies of drawing up a business plan for growing potatoes

Agricultural business can be very profitable, but it needs to be approached wisely. Beginning entrepreneurs very rarely pay attention to growing and selling potatoes. Although this product is very common and is always in great demand, the business itself requires a lot of time, effort and financial costs.

Advantages and disadvantages of the potato business

Growing potatoes as a business has special advantages that play an important role when starting this business.

The profitability of the business is very high and amounts to 160%, since the product is in great demand, especially in large cities where there are no land plots or they are very small in size.

To conduct business, special equipment is used for growing potatoes and cultivating the land. Just a few small tractors will be enough here.

But there are also difficulties here, that is, the amount of harvest directly depends on the quality of planting material, as well as weather conditions and the degree of protection from pests.

Do not forget that the soil where potatoes are planted needs rest and regular fertilizers, and tractors need fuel and lubricants. But profitability very quickly covers all costs.

And you can start a potato business on a small plot; even from an area of ​​3 acres you can harvest about 250-300 kg of crop. In addition, growing the product does not require special knowledge.

The disadvantages include the low price for selling potatoes and the fact that they can only be grown in the warm season.

How to grow potatoes

Before you start doing business, you should study the plan for growing the product, since the future harvest directly depends on proper planting and care.

Potatoes are one of the most weather- and climate-sensitive vegetables. It can be grown using two methods. The first is early ripening varieties that are planted in greenhouses and go on sale in early spring, and the second is open ground and goes on sale in the fall.

The first method has greater profitability, but also requires high costs for arranging greenhouses. But the second method is less expensive and ideal for beginners with small initial capital.

Potatoes are an early ripening crop and take about 4 months from planting to harvesting. The growing technology is very simple and includes only a few main stages of work:

• preparing seeds for planting;
• site preparation and planting;
• hilling and fertilizing;
• pest control;
• cleaning and storage;
• packaging and sale.

Seed potatoes that are purchased must have all the required documents confirming the variety and high resistance to disease, as well as productivity. The planting material must meet strict requirements; the size of the tubers is about 3-5 cm in diameter. When planting tubers of different varieties, it is not recommended to mix them.

The vegetation of such plants should be at least 100%, and the yield should be stable and very high. If the reproduction of the product does not reach degree 2, then it is not advisable to use it on seeds.

Seed preparation is carried out in the autumn, the potatoes are sorted. Only healthy tubers that have no spots or sores and are not damaged in any way remain for the seeds. After careful selection, they are greened up; for this, they are laid out in the light for about 3 weeks. But direct rays are prohibited for them, only diffused light.

After gardening, the seeds are stored in a warehouse at a temperature of about +3 degrees and a humidity of at least 80%.

After storage, 30 days before planting, the seeds are taken out and transferred to a warm and bright place for germination. The sprout of potatoes ready for planting should be 1 cm. If you come across large tubers, then they are carefully divided into 2 parts, leaving sprouts on both halves; there should be about 4 of them. To prevent the cut tubers from rotting, it is recommended to treat the sections with tree resin.

But when potatoes are grown industrially, they are not sorted manually; the whole process is completely automated.

The timing of planting depends entirely on weather conditions, that is, in the south, potatoes can be planted in March, in the middle zone at the beginning of May, and in the north only at the beginning of summer. The temperature of the finished soil should be more than 12 degrees.

The soil is prepared in advance; for this purpose, small areas are dug with shovels, and large areas are plowed with a tractor. During preparation, the soil is loosened, as a result the plant will have enough air and moisture.

The material is planted in rows with a distance of at least 1 meter. This distance is required for the full development of bushes and easy processing and harvesting using special equipment.

When working with milling units, roots will not be damaged at this distance. If you save on distance, then even with manual cultivation, the roots can be damaged and the growing season will slow down significantly.

Tubers are planted to a depth of about 8 cm, and a ridge about 10 cm high is formed on top. According to the standard, 30 bushes should be planted per square meter.

14 days after planting, all weeds are removed from the site, and the sprouts undergo the first hilling, and an additional 10 cm of ridge height is created. The soil on the ridge is only soft and loose, since new tubers will form in it.

If there is no rain, watering is carried out 2 times every seven days. If there is a severe drought, watering is carried out every day. If the weather is cloudy and there is high humidity outside, then it is advisable to reduce the number of waterings.

Potatoes are very fond of fertilizers; for this, horse or cow manure must be added to the ground before planting.

When the bushes begin to bloom, they must be treated with products against the Colorado potato beetle and prevented from possible late blight. Treatment of plants against pests should be carried out about 5 times per season, but with strict adherence to the requirements of treatment intervals from the manufacturer.

Harvesting is carried out in the autumn after the tubers have fully ripened. This will significantly increase the shelf life and all the beneficial properties of the product. For storage, special rooms are used in which the required temperature and humidity are maintained.

How to organize a business

In order for the potato growing business to become profitable, you should not only learn the technology for growing the product, but also take care of the paperwork.

If you plan to grow goods on your own plot, then it is not necessary to prepare documents. But here difficulties will arise with the sale of products; it will be possible to sell only independently.

If you plan to conduct a large business, you must register with the tax service as an individual entrepreneur. To do this, select the OKVED A. 01,13,21 form and the Unified Agricultural Tax taxation system, that is, as an agricultural entrepreneur.

When registering a potato business, you should take into account that large buyers and retail chains prefer to work with individual entrepreneurs rather than with private small businesses.

Selling Features

A business selling potatoes will have high income if you find permanent sales points. For this purpose, market monitoring is carried out. You can start offering products to large retail chains.

You can also sell at the market, especially if the sale is carried out at a time when potato prices are rising. In this case, you can find wholesale buyers.

But it is worth remembering that the product must only be of high quality without damage and with the correct shelf life.

A potato growing business can bring high yields. When planting one ton of seeds per hectare, you can harvest about 20 tons of crop. And you can get a high income for such a volume only if you have a permanent point of sale.

Financial investments in business

A business plan for growing potatoes requires certain costs. Financial investments will be required for:

1. purchase of seeds;
2. purchase of fertilizers and pesticides;
3. rent or purchase of equipment for growing potatoes;
4. purchasing packaging for potatoes;
5. rental of storage space;
6. salary if workers are hired.

But if you follow all the cultivation technology, then all these costs will quickly cover. You can increase your profits only with effort and marketing.

Costs are reduced if you have your own warehouse, or a place to build it, as well as your own agricultural machinery.

Profit from the potato business

The potato business requires initial cost calculations and approximate profits.

The costs include setting up a business, purchasing equipment, seeds and everything necessary for growing.

It is also worth indicating the worker’s salary, the cost of renting a stall, the amount of tax deductions and transportation costs.

Calculations are being carried out, that is, approximately 350 thousand were spent on creating the business, and the total harvest amounted to 16 tons. After the goods have been sorted and approximately 2 tons of defects have been removed, 14 tons are spent on sale.

That is, when selling potatoes at a price of 50 rubles per kilogram, the total income will be 700,000 rubles. The net profit in this case is 350 thousand.

Although the potato business has high costs and a large investment of effort and labor, with the right approach it brings high income in a short time, since cultivation is carried out in just one season.

Attention! The free business plan offered for download below is a sample. A business plan that best suits the conditions of your business must be created with the help of specialists.

This is the story of a private entrepreneur from the Bryansk region, Oksana Vyazemskaya, the owner of a potato farm. Oksana leased 12 hectares of land, purchased a tractor with attachments, as well as European seeding material. Seasonal work is underway on the land. During the season, up to ten people work who are engaged in planting, caring for and harvesting potatoes. The bulk of potatoes are sold in Moscow and the Moscow region.

Business plan for growing potatoes. Introduction

Many people believe that the most delicious potatoes grow in Belarus, but in fact this is far from the case. The best potatoes grow here, near Bryansk. I myself come from a village, and therefore I know firsthand what a fertile region we live in.

Thanks to the unusual, sandy soil, our potatoes are reminiscent of homemade butter in color. It is crumbly and boils perfectly, and what kind of pancakes are made from it...

My husband and I live in the city, but have always had a small dacha. I like working on the land. This is both reassuring and helps make ends meet.

One fine day we decided that we could handle farming work quite well, fortunately, there was even a lot of unplowed land near ours, which was left over from a bankrupt collective farm.

We had more than enough desire to grow potatoes on an industrial scale, but we didn’t have much experience. It’s one thing to plow the land with a mini tractor, and quite another to cultivate several hectares.

How we changed our lives, or in search of the ideal business plan

After our first steps in business, my husband and I realized that without a good plan and a clear sequence of actions there was no point in trying to implement such a grandiose project.

First of all, we wanted to clarify the following questions:

• How much land do you need to rent to effectively cultivate it?
• What kind of tractor and attachments are needed?
• How much money is needed to start a business?
• What law regulates farm labor?

We did not have a sensible and intelligible answer to any of the questions. We tried to make inquiries through friends, but received such a flow of varied information that we almost drowned in it.

We were advised to hire a smart financier, but he asked for such a fabulous sum for his services that we could not earn even in six months of hard work.

We were forced to refuse his services and look for a way out on our own.

We were also advised to download a business plan on the global network, but even in our unprofessional opinion, all the plans there, which were freely available, fell under the definitions of “nonsense” and “nonsense.”

But happiness smiles on the brave and persistent. By luck, I came across a site with paid business plans on a wide variety of topics. Our plan was easily found.

Having paid a small amount, we downloaded an excellent business plan, and in a couple of days of work we brought it to perfection, completely customizing it to our needs.

As a result, it was the use of this business plan that became a success in our potato business and helped us make good money.

Business plan for planting potatoes

Some useful information and a brief presentation of a business plan for growing potatoes:

Potato production business plan. Summary

The project is a plan to create a profitable potato production within two years. The project is financed through loans in the amount of 1.5 million rubles.

The payback period of the project is 24 months. Investor profit – 154.0 thousand rubles.

Loan terms: payment of interest and loan principal from the first month, interest rate - 14% per annum.

General description of the enterprise

The project plans:

• registration of documents for a peasant (farm) enterprise (hereinafter - peasant farm);
• purchase of land ownership or lease of a land plot of at least 25 acres in size;
• purchasing equipment and hiring workers;
• soil preparation, sowing;
• processing of seedlings and harvesting;
• carrying out marketing activities throughout the project.

Peasant farms are subject to a single agricultural tax.

Goods

Favorable conditions for obtaining a good potato harvest are:

• sufficient amount of light;
• temperature within +15…+22;
• absence of excessive humidity;
• loosening the soil during the formation of tubers.

Production plan

For the last 8 years, potatoes have been sown in Russia on an area of ​​2.1-2.2 million hectares. In the mid-90s they amounted to 3.4-3.5 million hectares. In 2012, potato imports amounted to 490 thousand tons.

Thus, the market receives insufficient quantities of potatoes from domestic producers.

According to statistics, the crop yield is 118-130 c/ha.

Most potatoes are produced in the Central and Volga districts.

It is best to conclude such agreements in nearby cities.

It is very promising to conclude agreements for the supply of products with retail store chains.

The larger the network, the larger volumes it purchases, the higher the requirements for suppliers, the lower the purchasing prices.

Typically, retail chains select 2-3 suppliers who meet the requirements for quality, assortment, and logistics. It is better to start cooperation with small local networks.

Table No. 1. Potato consumption potential in Russia

Large federal chains make demands that are very difficult for small businesses to meet, especially at the initial stage. Sometimes it seems that the requirements of retail chains are too high, but those who were able to fulfill them will increase their competitiveness significantly.

To do this, the farm must provide:

• storage of goods;
• small packaging;
• delivery to the store.

Analysis of climate information and forecasts allows us to predict that with a 70% probability in most of Russia, the temperature in May-September will be within the seasonal norm.

Deficiency of precipitation is predicted in the Southern Federal District, southwest Siberia, and northern regions of the North Caucasus.

In Russia, as is known, potato- 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 agricultural crops of Russians. And if not everyone likes to grow potatoes, then everyone loves to eat them. Well, or almost everything.

If you have no desire to grow potatoes for sale yourself, 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 rise in potato prices - from December to June.

In the fall 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 in different regions, and the level of inflation at different times, you can roughly imagine the order of the numbers. We sell for 3-7 times more expensive than we buy. Inflation is not a threat to this business.

Since there are no details here, you need to carefully think through all stages of the business - purchasing, storage, sales.

Purchase of potatoes

There are several options - purchasing from wholesale stores, purchasing from the population, purchasing at agricultural fairs, purchasing from farms or collective farms.

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

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

It's good if you have your own cargo transport. However, its absence is not an obstacle to running this business. We have been visiting nearby collective farms, state farms, and farms since the spring, and are clarifying under what conditions it is possible to purchase potatoes in the fall directly “from the garden.” Perhaps they will offer you their own transport to deliver products to their destination. As a last resort, 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 collective farm products and have a certain percentage from this. However, the income in this case will be less than an “independent” business, but there will be less hassle.

You should not buy potatoes in areas 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 Surveillance. There, by the way, you can immediately consult regarding obtaining the necessary documentation for selling potatoes - you are unlikely to be denied the amount of information that concerns this department.

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, you will most likely have to rent a room, since a standard 2m*2m caisson won’t fit a lot of potatoes.

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

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

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

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

With proper storage organization, the percentage of discarded 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 stores, kindergartens, etc. It is necessary to have all the documents for the potatoes being sold, this is a prerequisite. Products can be sold to stores or offered for sale under 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 verbal answer, as a rule, completely suits them. In principle, an ordinary consumer would be more willing to buy potatoes without documents from a collective farm from his own or a 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 for delivery directly to the apartment, or to the cellar (caisson).

A very interesting option is the sale of washed potatoes. There is no need to wash in advance; it is better to wash the potatoes immediately before delivering the goods to the client (upon the client’s order, of course). Technically, we will not consider the issue of washing in depth - everyone can work on this 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 is completely satisfied with the quality and price, then in the future he becomes a regular customer.

And you need to love regular customers - periodically organize promotions, provide discounts, etc. It is not considered bad manners to call and offer a product to a customer who purchased potatoes from you some time ago (you can offer a discount as a regular customer). There is always a certain portion of customers who agree to buy more. If the buyer refuses, you can clarify the reason - perhaps the client was not satisfied with the taste of the potatoes. If the majority of clients indicate such a reason, then you will have to look for new suppliers.

What documents should I fill out for potatoes when selling them?

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

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

Technical Regulations of the Customs Union TR CU 021/2011 “On the safety of food products” (approved by Decision of the Customs Union Commission dated December 9, 2011 No. 880).

Technical Regulations of the Customs Union TR CU 022/2011 “Food products regarding their labeling” (approved by Decision of the Customs Union Commission dated December 9, 2011 No. 881).

The applicant has the right, in addition to the declaration, to also issue a voluntary certificate for potatoes. This document is not a permit for the sale of products on the territory of Russia - it only confirms compliance with Russian standards of those characteristics of potatoes that are not subject to mandatory verification during the declaration process. Consequently, 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 research and examination of the potato batch is 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) "Wood potatoes. Technical conditions", modified in relation to the UNECE standard FFV-52:2010 concerning the marketing and control of commercial quality of early and ware potatoes , with an effective date of July 1, 2014, replacing GOST R 51808-2001. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with this document.

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 running a small business. Since the information may become outdated at any time, the easiest way to do this is to contact a wholesale warehouse or a collective farm/farm to purchase a small batch of potatoes for resale. We ask for certified copies of documents for the batch of potatoes (by the way, it is not a fact that you will be given all the necessary documents) in order to “sell potatoes in the store without problems with regulatory authorities.” Then we study the issued documents, contact the authorities that issued them, and receive the necessary advice to obtain documents for “our” batch of products.

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

We highly recommend having it 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 will be able to find more detailed information on this issue on your own and study the necessary documents.

This business can be conducted by registering as an individual entrepreneur or opening an LLC. There is a very good video on the topic of choosing between individual entrepreneurs and LLCs 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’s better not to miss the chance to carve out your niche in this market.

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

Potatoes are one of the main products on the Russian table. Everyone eats potatoes and everyone buys them. Even those who grow this vegetable in their summer cottage very rarely can provide themselves with it in full. Therefore, potatoes have always been and will always be in demand among the population. It follows that the business of growing potatoes is a profitable business. At the same time, growing potatoes is not very difficult; they grow well in most regions of our country.

What does it take to grow and sell a good potato crop? Of course, first of all you need a plot of land. In addition, seed material, agricultural machinery, fertilizers and labor are needed. Well, before you take decisive action to acquire all these components, you need to draw up a business plan.

Stages of growing potatoes

Growing potatoes is a business with a quick payback. From the moment of planting to the moment of sale of the finished product, only four months pass. Growing potatoes includes the following steps:

1. Preparation of planting material.
2. Soil preparation.
3. Landing.
4. Hilling.
5. Fertilizer.
6. Pest control.
7. Cleaning.
8. Storage.
9. Package.
10. Sale.

Planting material

Preparation of planting material occurs in the fall. To do this, the grown potatoes are sorted out and small, clean potatoes without signs of disease or spoilage are selected. Potatoes selected for planting must be “greened”, that is, placed in light for approximately twenty days. Direct sunlight is not suitable for this; the lighting should be diffused. This procedure improves the seed quality of potatoes and protects them from rotting.

After germination, the potatoes are stored in a room without access to light, with a temperature of 1 to 3 degrees and a humidity of 80-90%.

A month before sowing, the potatoes are moved to a bright and warm room. Here it should sprout. The size of the sprout before planting potatoes should be at least 1 cm.

If large-sized potatoes were selected for planting (some varieties have tubers up to 400 g), they need to be divided into parts. The potatoes are cut into halves or quarters, keeping in mind that each part must have at least two or three eyes. Cut the potatoes before sprouting or two weeks after sprouting begins. It is useful to cover the cut areas with wood ash to protect the tubers from diseases. In addition, ash is an excellent fertilizer.

Preparing the soil and planting potatoes

Potatoes are planted in May in central Russia. In the south it can land in March-April. In the north of the country - in June. The main indicator is soil temperature. At a depth of 10-12 cm, the soil should warm up to 8 degrees.

Before planting, the soil is cleared of weeds and loosened. The earth is dug up with shovels, a simpler option is with pitchforks, or using equipment: a plow and a walk-behind tractor or a tractor. By modern standards, the soil does not need to be turned over, while changing places of the upper and lower layers. You just need to loosen it well.

Potatoes are planted in rows, and the distance in the rows from bush to bush should be at least a meter. The distance in the rows is about thirty centimeters. This is enough for the normal development of the bush and processing using technology.

The depth of planting potatoes should not be large - only 5-8 cm. But above the planted potatoes, a ridge of soil is formed with the help of agricultural implements. The height of the ridge when planting is 10 cm.

Potato care

Approximately two weeks after planting, weed removal and hilling are carried out. After this procedure, the soil ridge above the potatoes should increase by another 10 cm. The soil should be loose and soft. Potatoes will grow and develop in this ridge.

When the potato bushes begin to bloom, they are sprayed with solutions against Colorado potato beetles, which can cause significant damage to the crop.

You can water your potatoes two to three times a week if there is no rain. In severe drought, watering can be daily. In cloudy weather and high humidity, the amount of watering can be reduced.

The best organic fertilizer for growing potatoes is cow or horse manure. It is brought into the ground before planting and mixed with the soil. You can do without chemical fertilizers altogether if you have organic ones and the soil is not depleted. And in order to maintain soil fertility, after harvesting it is worth sowing it with any green manure - sunflower, corn, clover, etc. They will not only act as fertilizer, but will protect the soil from depletion, disease and the proliferation of harmful weeds. This will guarantee a good next harvest.

Potatoes need to be harvested immediately after ripening, in which case they will retain all their beneficial qualities and will be stored longer. It must be stored in dry, specially equipped rooms.

Legal registration of agricultural business

If the land on which you grow potatoes in small quantities is your property and falls into the category of private subsidiary plots (personal subsidiary plot), then you do not have to register at all and simply sell the products on the market.

But in order to expand your sales methods and become a businessman who legally grows and sells your products, you will need. In accordance with, your coding is A. 01.13.21 - production of agricultural products. You will pay a single agricultural tax (). It amounts to 6% of net profit and is considered the most favorable of business taxes.

Business plan for growing potatoes

Let's consider a specific example of a business plan for a private farm growing potatoes.

The area of ​​the cultivated plot is 30 acres and is owned by the owner of the farm. First of all, it is planned to purchase the equipment necessary for the work:

• Mini tractor (or walk-behind tractor) – 35,000 rubles.
• Plow for mini-tractor – 2,000.
• Hiller for mini-tractor – 2,000.
• Body for transporting goods using a mini-tractor – 20,000.
• Device for digging up potatoes (attached to a mini-tractor) – 3,000.
• Total - 62,000 is needed to purchase equipment.

Note that the equipment is purchased only once, that is, these are the costs of the first year of operation. In the future, there may be costs for repairs and replacement of equipment, but they will be much less.

Additionally, once the crop is harvested, there will be transportation costs to transport it to the buyer. They will amount to about 5,000 rubles. There is no provision for hiring employees. All work is carried out by the family of the farm owners. There are also no expenses for purchasing seeds; personal farms have potatoes for planting.

It is planned to spend about 3,000 rubles on fertilizers and the fight against Colorado potato beetles. That is, the total costs will be 70,000 rubles.

About 250 kg of potatoes are harvested from one hundred square meters of land. This means that the planned harvest will be about 7500 kg. At a potato price of 20 rubles per kg (planned to sell to wholesalers), the income from the enterprise will be 150,000 rubles.

Potato packaging

Selected, clean and bagged potatoes cost approximately twice as much as dirty potatoes in regular bags. Therefore, it is advisable to pack the potatoes yourself before selling them to customers.

This can be done on a small farm and on your own. The equipment you need to prepare and pack potatoes is easy to find or purchase. In order to set up a small business of your own packing grown potatoes you will need:

• Large containers for washing potatoes (bath).
• Uninterrupted access to water in large quantities.
• A room for drying potatoes (a shed or barn with a slatted floor will do).
• Scales.
• Packaging bags. The most common size is 25x40 cm. The material is dense porous polyethylene.
• Stapler for sealing bags.
• Staples for stapler.
• A strip of cardboard measuring 25x4 cm
• Label 25x8 cm

The process of packing potatoes occurs in several stages:

• The harvest is sorted, and all damaged potatoes must be removed.
• Selected potatoes are soaked in a container of water.
• After an hour, the water is drained and new water is added. The procedure is repeated 2-3 times.
• After the last draining, the peeled potatoes are laid out to dry.
• Dried potatoes are placed in bags, weighed, and adjusted to the specified weight. Typically the weight of a bag of potatoes is from 2 to 4 kg.
• The upper, free part of the packaging bag is wrapped several times around the cardboard. This is done for rigidity.
• A label is placed on top of the wrapped cardboard and stapled in two or three places.
• The package with selected beautiful potatoes is ready.

Sales of finished products

Potatoes can be sold in several ways:

If you are growing potatoes in large quantities, then you should take care of oral and written agreements with wholesalers in advance. An agreement that specifies the terms, prices and other conditions of your cooperation will allow you to focus on agricultural work and not worry about selling the harvest.

Potatoes are the most common vegetable, eaten almost all over the world. We cannot imagine our life without him. However, not everyone knows that you can start a potato business. How to do this, you will read below.

Advantages of business

First, let's figure out why it's worth doing this kind of thing. The following business advantages can be highlighted.

1. High profitability, which is about 160%. Potatoes are a product that is always in demand, especially in cities where there are practically no land plots or they are too small.
2. It is enough to purchase several small tractors.

However, it should be noted that growing potatoes is associated with certain difficulties. First of all, the yield depends on the type of planting material, weather conditions and the degree of plant protection from pests.

Naturally, the soil requires periodic fertilization and rest. There are other costs, for example, fuels and lubricants, but the profitability of the business outweighs all the shortcomings. Moreover, you can organize such a business in a relatively small area.

What do you need to start?

If you are going to engage in this process seriously, then a business plan for growing potatoes involves collecting some documents. There are not many of them. All you need to do is register a private enterprise, and also periodically control products using a sanitary station.

Naturally, your soil must also meet safety standards. That is, you should not cross the permissible limit of nitrates or other substances that you will introduce into the soil. Of course, you also need start-up funds that you can invest in the business.

Features of soil preparation and planting vegetables

In order for potato production to be profitable, it is necessary to take care in advance of the soil in which your “gold” will grow. So, planting is done quite early, when the soil has already warmed up to +2 degrees. In addition, it must be plowed and fertilized. If there is little organic matter in the soil, and it is freezing outside, then it may simply freeze, then the planting material will be of no use.

Vermicompost, wood ash, and bird droppings can be used as fertilizer. That is, soil enrichment can be easily done as cheaply as possible. As for landing, it has its own characteristics. For example, the depth of the hole should not exceed 7 cm, and the distance between the rows should not exceed 80 cm. At the same time, it is necessary to retreat 10 cm between the bushes so that the tubers can grow.

In addition, potatoes can be greened in advance. That is, you can plant it with green sprouts. This process should take place in the maximum amount of sunlight, but without direct exposure to the rays.

Selection of seed

A business plan for growing potatoes also includes the correct selection of source material. It must be of high quality, since even under ideal conditions, degenerate seeds will not give a good harvest. All you need is to purchase new tubers in a store, farm or online. Moreover, this should be done in early spring. Then the new variety can be planted for several years in a row until it degenerates.

Please note that the seeds must have the same shape and size. The final product will also have the same potato size. In order to select material for the next planting, try to dig up the tubers 3 weeks after the bushes begin to flower. In this case, choose thick stems of the same height. Naturally, you should note which variety was dug and when.

Cultivation care

In order to develop potato growing as a business, you must take care of the bushes. For example, it is necessary to organize proper watering of plants. For this purpose, professional drip irrigation is used, equipped with soil moisture sensors and automated operation. That is, if it rains heavily, the system will not work until the humidity level drops below the required level. In addition, the liquid should not get on the leaves and flowers.

Another important criterion is regular fertilization of the bushes. To do this, mineral and organic products should be used simultaneously. Potatoes can be processed before planting, as well as during growth.

Naturally, a hilling procedure must be carried out, which not only allows air access to the potatoes, but also prevents weeds from growing. It needs to be done several times (at least 2).

Elimination of weeds and pests

No matter how good the business plan for growing potatoes turns out to be, a good harvest depends on the effectiveness of pest and weed control. In the second case, both mechanical and chemical removal of unnecessary plants can be carried out. Naturally, the second type of event is used in large areas.

As for pests, especially the Colorado potato beetle, you can’t do without poison. Potatoes can be treated with pesticides before or after planting. In the first case, each vegetable is dipped in liquid. In this case, the beetles will not land on already green bushes.

Product processing and storage

Processing potatoes is a procedure that may already be carried out by completely different people. Your task is to properly process the material, as well as create all the conditions for proper storage. So, 40 days before you plan to plant potatoes, you need to spray a specially prepared solution on them. It is made from water (10 l), copper sulfate (20 g) and borax (100 g). It is necessary to process the tubers from all sides.

Now let's look at the features of storing potatoes. All storage facilities must meet the required standards. This is the most important thing for you, because it determines how long the tubers can last and how much of the total mass will need to be thrown away in case of rotting (damage by rodents). That is, the room must have an optimal level of humidity and a certain temperature (for winter storage).

In addition, try to protect the warehouse from rodents and other pests.

Features of sales and profitability of goods

A business selling potatoes can be very profitable. Naturally, before starting it, you will have to find those people who will buy the product. To do this you need to research the market. You can offer your products to retail chains. At the same time, you must ensure that your product is of high quality: adhere to the actual shelf life, make sure that the vegetables are not damaged. To do this, substandard goods should be quickly removed from shelves.

You can also sell potatoes at the market. In addition, with good promotion and excellent product quality, you will soon have wholesale customers. It’s good if you trade when prices are rising.

As for profitability, from 1 hectare of territory you can get about 20 tons of product using only 1 ton. At the same time, you must be sure to plant, care for, dig and store potatoes correctly. Of course, you can’t grow your business without start-up costs. Therefore, further you will find out exactly what you will have to spend money on.

Financial expenses

A high-quality business plan for growing potatoes involves certain material investments. So, what should you spend your money on:

• Purchase of product (500 kg of varietal potatoes - about $700, with ordinary seeds costing approximately $150 per half ton).
• Fertilizers and pesticides – up to $220.
• Rental of heavy equipment for tillage – 10 USD. e. per hour of work. At the same time, you have the opportunity to purchase your own mechanisms.
• Packaging for potatoes - about 75 USD. e.
• Fuels and lubricants – from $500.
• Workers' wages – from 500 USD. e.
• Warehouse rent is approximately $800-1000 per month.

That is, the total cost is approximately 3500 USD. e. However, with high-quality planting, care, storage and timely sales, the profit from 20 tons is $5,000. Naturally, there may be more.

The increase in the amount of profit depends only on your invested labor and successful marketing, as well as the methods of caring for plants and the size of the planting area. So if you have your own land on which you can build a warehouse for products and a garage for equipment, then business costs can be significantly reduced. So develop a detailed plan for implementing this idea and go for it.