The flip side of Volvo’s investments: Slovakia will pay for it with valuable land – Country – Economy
The price for the construction of the fifth car factory in Slovakia will not only be the acquisition of 400 hectares of the most fertile land in the Košice basin, but also the end of the test station in Haniska, where the suitability of growing agricultural crops was tested. The state must urgently come up with a solution to where to relocate the test station, which is extremely important for potato growers. It is requested by the Potato and Vegetable Association of the Slovak Republic.
photo: The truth, Robert Hüttner
Prime Minister Heger shakes hands with representatives of the Volvo car company at the signing of the ceremonial investment.
The importance and exceptionality of the test station in Haniska near Košice, which is one of the 14 test sites of the Central Agricultural Inspection and Testing Institute (ÚKSUP), otherwise a state institution, consisting in the certification of potato seedlings, but also of other crops.
Laboratories were modernized in Haniska, also with the support of European funds, which made it possible to perfectly check the quality of seed potatoes. Certified planting guarantees that the potatoes are suitable for the respective growing areas, so that farmers are not buying, as he says, a cat in a bag. Now there is a threat that the agricultural department will lose the test station in Haniska, which may threaten the future without such a weakened potato cultivation in Slovakia.
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“This year we grow seed potatoes on an area of 322 hectares. However, there is room to grow them on up to 800 hectares of land, but for that we also need a functional test station. We feel that Slovak agriculture has once again reached the edge of interest,” Jozef Šumichrast, the chairman of the Slovak Potato and Vegetable Association, reacts to the current situation.
From north to south
Potatoes have been going downhill for a long time in Slovakia. Self-sufficiency in their production does not even reach 50 percent, although since they are grown under the Tatras, people know how to make enough of them. After 2000, the three key potato-growing areas – Liptov, Spiš and Šariš, where the production of seedlings was also concentrated, gradually gave up their cultivation. apparently it was mainly crop theft, but also outdated technologies, division of cooperatives, warehouses.
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Potato cultivation moved from the colder north to the warmer south of Slovakia. A number of excellent growers seemed to emerge, but there was a catch. The sun-splashed south is a degradation area where it is not possible to grow seedlings. Its production can be maintained in Slovakia only thanks to a large circle of passionate potato growers.
The advantage of own seedlings
Does Slovakia actually need potato seedlings? “It needs, if we grow it ourselves, we get it twice as cheaply as if we buy it abroad,” says Viliam Bezák, former head of the potato association. He points out that the majority of the production costs fall on the seedling. So we can’t care if we make the seed potatoes ourselves or import them from abroad for twice the high price.
“The price and, of course, its quality follows the competitiveness of Slovak potatoes,” stressed Viliam Bezák.
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Every government promises that it will succeed in reviving self-sufficiency in the production of potatoes, which once formed the basis of the livelihood of the Slovak population. However, the annual consumption fell from more than 80 kilograms to less than 50 kilograms over the course of three years, with more than half of this amount being potatoes imported from all over Europe. This burdens the negative trade balance, which, thanks to potatoes and vegetables, has been at the level of 1.8 to 2 billion euros in recent years.
Who’s on the move?
If politicians are really serious about reviving self-sufficiency, then they need to stir up potato cultivation. “We cannot afford to let another car company come and domestic potato production drop even more. The state can also move the testing station to another location,” thinks Jozef Šumichrast, chairman of the Slovak Potato and Vegetable Association. He fears that due to the current construction legislation, the whole process can “We ask the state to solve the situation now and not until it is too late for our growers and, as a result, for the Slovak consumer,” insists Jozef Šumichrast.
What is the future of the test station in Haniska? “Is the Ministry of Agriculture of the Slovak Republic aware?”
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According to the Department of Agriculture, the move is the responsibility of the Ministry of Economy and its company established for the purpose of preparing an industrial park for the Volvo car company.
“Of course, all options are also communicated with ÚKSÚP. Currently, there are several options on the table where the test station could be moved. The timetable will be based on the selection of the most suitable alternative,” Vlčan of the department offers.
“Simply among the possibilities where to move the workplace in Haniska could be, for example, the Zvolen test station,” thinks Viliam Bezák, according to whom the state is now on the move. It should provide not only for the development of the automotive industry, but also agriculture, adds Jaroslav Mačák, director of the cooperative of potato growers and processors Slovsolanum, based in Spišská Bela. He thinks that the move of the test station is not only in the transfer of equipment, but also in personnel equipment.
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“For a long time, we have witnessed that the state does not care about the training of relevant experts. A generation of experienced workers is leaving the testing industry, and we will not immediately hire new ones from the clinic. Unless Slovakia has a testing station that checks the quality of seedlings, there is a risk that untested varieties will reach the growers, which to those who buy it and plant it, disappointment,” Mačák can cause.
The originality of the station Haniska near Košice
The test stations are located all over Slovakia in such a way as to capture the diversity of the soil and climatic conditions of the entire country. Through testing, it is determined where it is worthwhile or, on the contrary, too risky to grow this or that variety or hybrid of a given crop. The station in Haniska is located in a slightly hilly area of the Košice basin on the Hornád terraced plateau at an altitude of 210 meters. It is a drier, windy area with an inland climate. The station is adjacent to 33 hectares of loess soil. The station was founded in 1958 from the test station in Barca. Variety testing has a long tradition in the area since the end of the 19th century. In Haniska, in addition to potatoes, they are testing cereals, legumes, corn, rapeseed. the joint station is a historical building that once housed the predecessor of Slovak radio.