Potato Review

Economy Ministry plans to allocate UAH 1.37 bln to support potato growing in Ukraine Financing for the program of state support for potato growing, planned for 2021, will amount to UAH 6.04 billion, including UAH 1.37 billion for four main areas of development, Deputy Minister for Development of Economy, Trade and Agriculture Taras Vysotsky said at the 11th Dutch-Ukrainian Potato Forum in February. According to Vysotsky, the area for planting potatoes this year will amount to 1.29 million hectares in household farms, and 15.8 million hectares in industrial enterprises, potato yield - 23.6 tonnes per hectare, and 15.6 tonnes per hectare, respectively. The need for storage space will amount to 1.15 million tonnes with the existing storage area of 350,000 tonnes. Vysotsky said that the program of the Economy Ministry until 2025 assumes assistance to potato producers in the form of payment of 25% of the cost of potato storage facilities from the state budget. The ministry plans to support the construction of 45 storage facilities with a total capacity of 207,800 tonnes for five years, which will amount to UAH 491 million for this program with a total budget of UAH 2.13 billion. Over the same period, it is planned to build 13 potato-processing plants with a total capacity of 141,000 tonnes per year, within which state support will amount to UAH 487 million with a total budget of UAH 2.11 billion. By 2025 it is planned to build irrigation systems for the industrial cultivation of potatoes on a total area of 8,700 hectares. The cost of construction will amount to UAH 407.7 million with assistance from the state budget at the level of UAH 118 million. Also for the same period, state support is provided for the renewal of 5,660 tonnes of seed material in industrial potato growing at the level of UAH 50 million, with the total cost of the program at UAH 408 million. www.potatoreview.com POTATO REVIEW MAY/JUNE 2021 53 INTERNATIONAL NEWS Biofungicide commercialisation extended A BOTANICAL-based biofungicide which can attack disease on potato flowers and leaves is to be commercialised in Peru and Mexico. Botanical Solution Inc (BSI) and Syngenta are jointly commercialising the BSI product, which has already been successfully commercialised in Chile, where it is now widely used, under the trade name Botristop. This biofungicide has been field- tested for several years and proven to be highly e cacious and consistent in the prevention and control of Botrytis cinerea. The fungus is an opportunistic pathogen with a wide host range that easily invades stressed, damaged, or senescing tissue. All aboveground portions of the potato plant can be attacked but often disease starts on senescing flowers or damaged leaves. The biofungicide is based on the extract of Quillaja saponaria Molina, a plant native to Chile. Its modes of action provide growers with a tool for resistance management while meeting strict global MRL guidelines.