INTENSIVE GARDENING: ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITIES AND JUSTIFICATION OF THE INVESTMENT PROJECT

Abstract

After the food embargo was imposed in 2014, apple imports to the Russian Federation declined significantly. After many years of stagnation, the domestic producer turned out to be unprepared to solve the problem of providing the population with horticultural products. The most important factor in achieving lost food security is active import substitution, that is, partial or complete replacement of imported apples with domestic ones. An increase in the gross harvest of fruits, taking into account not always favorable climatic conditions in the country, is possible only through the establishment of fast-growing, highly productive and stable fruit-bearing orchards. Intensive horticulture provides a high yield per unit of plantation area, a quick return on investment, helps to reduce prices, improve the quality and competitiveness of fruit products. In modern conditions, the development of domestic horticulture is one of the priorities of the state agrarian policy. The total amount of state support from 2014 to 2018 amounted to more than 13 billion rubles, which contributed to the establishment of intensive-type orchards on an area of ​​more than 50 thousand hectares. Over the past seven years, Russian gardeners have increased the production of marketable apples from 500 thousand tons to 1.2 million tons. However, in order to fully satisfy the population's demand for domestic fruits, it is necessary to produce about 2 million tons of products per year. To achieve full self-sufficiency of the country with apples, it is necessary to continue the implementation of projects for the establishment of intensive-type orchards.