Stavropol viticulturists switch to mechanized harvesting of solar berries

Grape harvesters are used for harvesting technical grape varieties in the Stavropol Territory. Special equipment allows growers to collect large volumes of products in less time, performing one of the most labor-intensive stages of work.

Until recently, there was only one such machine in the Stavropol Territory: it worked in the fields of OOO AP Praskoveiskoye in the Budennovsky district. However, since 2021, the mechanized method of harvesting grapes has also been used in the Opytnoye joint venture of the Neftekumsky district.

“Based on the positive experience of our colleagues, including those from other regions of RUSSIA, this year we purchased a high-performance combine that allows you to harvest up to 100 tons of grapes in just 6 hours of work,” said Mikhail Kits, HEAD of the Opytnoye joint venture.

The economic effect of using grape harvesters fully justifies itself: it takes more than 24 hours for a team of 50 people to harvest the same amount of grapes by hand. This allows farmers not only to avoid problems with a shortage of labor, but also to harvest grapes within the allotted agro-technological time frame.

“Today, many vineyards of the region are ready to offer employees a decent level of wages. However, sometimes it is not possible to recruit a brigade of pickers from their district in due time: often the local population does not want to go to work in this industry. Therefore, the purchase of specialized harvesting equipment can become one of the ways to solve the personnel problem,” commented Vladimir Sitnikov, head of the Stavropol Territory Ministry of Agriculture.

At the same time, since 2011, the regional Ministry of Agriculture has been assisting the winegrowers of the Stavropol region in purchasing special agricultural equipment. For 10 years, 20 farms received state support. The volume of subsidizing from the regional budget exceeded 34 million rubles. Due to this subsidy, 129 units of equipment for the cultivation of grapes were purchased.

“The purchase of special equipment is one of the most expensive items in the cost structure in the production of products. In the conditions of the current realities and the constant shortage of working capital, the agrarians of the region cannot do without the support of the state,” said Vladimir Sitnikov, head of the agrarian department of the region.

In the Stavropol Territory, grapes are grown in 53 farms, including 25 specialized agricultural organizations and 28 peasant (farm) farms on an area of ​​5.9 thousand hectares.
Over the past 5 years, more than 800 hectares of vine plantations have been planted in the region. In 2021, it is planned to plant grapes on an area of ​​about 309 hectares: in spring - 102 hectares, in autumn - 207 hectares. New vineyards will appear in Mineralovodsky, Izobilnensky, Petrovsky, Levokumsky and Neftekumsky districts. Five organizations will grow grapes for the first time this year.