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Soviet Union [USSR] Potatoes and Vegetables
A staple of the Russian diet for centuries and an important
animal feed source, potatoes are grown on private plots throughout
the country. They are cultivated on a large scale in the Ukrainian,
Belorussian, Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian republics and in the
central European part of the Russian Republic. The area devoted to
growing potatoes decreased steadily between 1960 (7.7 million
hectares) and 1986 (6.4 millon hectares), although potatoes still
accounted for nearly three-quarters of the total area devoted to
vegetable crops. Potato harvests also declined substantially--from
an average of 94.8 million tons annually between 1966 and 1970 to
fewer than 78.4 million tons per year in the 1980-85 period.
Traditionally, the most widely grown vegetables in addition to
potatoes have included beets, carrots, cabbages, cucumbers,
tomatoes, and onions. These crops have been grown on an ever larger
scale since the 1960s, and in 1986 they occupied nearly 1.7 million
hectares. Yields increased proportionately, reaching a record 29.7
million tons in 1986. Thanks to the proliferation of large clusters
of hothouses, it was possible to supply fresh cucumbers and
tomatoes, among other produce, to the residents of major urban
centers throughout the year. With private plots yielding roughly 40
percent of the vegetable harvest, much of the population,
particularly the kolkhoz residents, grew a portion of their own
produce.
Data as of May 1989
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