Continental's potato campaign yields exceed planned

Continental Farmers Group (CFG), a subsidiary of Saudi Arabia's SALIC in Ukraine, has started potato harvesting campaign 2021.

The company is currently harvesting seed, ware potatoes and varieties for chips production (crisp varieties) in Lviv and Ternopil regions. In the crop year 2021, CFG allocated 1.8 thou. ha for potato cultivation. 19% of the area has been harvested, the actual potato yield of seed varieties makes up 31 t/ha, ware 44 t/ha, and crisp varieties 35 t/ha. These yield indicators are well over the planned, the company marks.

The 2021 potato crop varieties:

• ware: Riviera, Colomba, Melody
• crisps: Lady Claire, Pirol, Opal, Arsenal

A part of the harvested potato crop has been sold.

Orest Kravchuk

Head of the Potato cluster of CFG

"Early varieties of ware potatoes are being sold to partner companies, we also sell it on the free market. After that we will start selling late varieties. There are partners for whom we grow seed potatoes, and there are long-term contracts for the sale of crisping potato varieties with PepsiCo (Lay's), Snack Production ("Клуб чипсов"/Chipster's)"

The company has its own equipment for potato harvesting—4 trailed two-row Grimme potato harvesters operate in the Vasylkivtsy production unit in Ternopil region; 2 self-propelled four-row Grimme harvesters operate in the Vyriv unit in Lviv region, and one in the Chukva unit in Lviv region.

The company has enough storage capacity for storing potatoes. A new 16,000 t potato storage facility was built for the new crop potato in Chukva village.

"Continental is preparing cropland for potatoes sowing next year in step with the harvesting campaign. Hulling and plowing is underway, the soil is being treated for controlling perennial weeds, and potash fertilizers are being applied," the message reads.

In the coming season, CFG plans potato cultivation on 2.1 thou. ha. The agroholding has been increasing its potato area since 2020.