EntranceSergey Konin earthworms. Earthworms
The earthworm, which appeared on Earth more than 600 million years ago and successfully outlived the dinosaurs, is not only one of the most ancient animals, but also the most adapted to life. He is also the most profitable pet. In any case, this is what farmers have been saying recently.Fantastic calculations
The idea of cultivating earthworms first came to mind back in the 50s of the last century to the American doctor Thomas Barrett, who noticed that manure processed by worms into humus and scattered under fruit trees greatly increases productivity. After this, Barrett began to specifically grow worms in wooden boxes filled with a mixture of soil and manure with organic waste.
A few years later, Barrett’s initiative was picked up by surrounding farmers, and when biologists, on their order, crossed several worms, a hybrid called the “red California worm” appeared, widely known in Russia. At the very least, even those who are far from agriculture and personal plots have probably heard about its wonderful qualities (omnivorousness, speed of processing and fertility). The “Californian” first appeared in the USSR 20 years ago, when it was imported to Ukraine from Eastern Europe. True, perestroika suddenly broke out, state farms and collective farms had no time for some kind of worm - there was a question of survival. As is known, the majority failed to do this, but meanwhile, as he claims Sergey Konin, director of the PIK corporation, worms could save most agricultural enterprises from ruin.
Vladimir Kleshkanov, General Director of the company "Agroecoservice": From the digestive tract of the worm and its mucus into the organic substrate, extremely beneficial soil microflora is constantly introduced into the soil, and therefore 1 ton of vermicompost replaces 20 tons of manure or humus. You could even say that the entire modern world was formed thanks to worms. Tests of "Super Humisol" - a liquid extract from vermicompost, carried out this year on our order at the Yeisk State Variety Testing Site (Kuban), showed an increase in grain yield by 30%. At the same time, winter crops withstood both an extremely harsh winter and drought at the beginning of summer.
Anatoly Igonin, Professor, Department of Biology, Vladimirsky state university: Vermicompost can not only increase the yield of fruits and vegetables by two to three times, but even shorten their ripening time by two weeks.
Now there are three main products of vermicultivation (this is what breeders beautifully call the process of cultivating worms) - the valuable fertilizer vermicompost, a liquid extract from vermicompost (humistar, according to the PIK corporation, or "Super Humisol" from Agroecoservice) and, finally, the worms purchased by newly organized vermifarms and fishermen.
Sergey Konin: For example, the overall profitability for cattle is now no more than 18%, but a worm easily brings 300%, and this is not the limit. A simple calculation shows that if a 400-head farm annually sells 6-9 million rubles worth of milk, then during the same period the cows produce so much manure that, if processed, you can earn 15-18 million rubles.
The numbers are impressive and at first glance seem fantastic, if all the other vermiculture entrepreneurs did not agree with Konin’s statements - their data is supported by calculations. For example, the director of the company "Agroecoservice" Vladimir Kleshkanov even gave up a very profitable business in trading non-ferrous metals for the sake of the worm: In 1997, I purchased 5 million worms for $10 thousand, over the past five years I have invested almost $200 thousand in the business, not only personal but also credit funds, which I do not regret at all. Now there are practically no businesses left with such profitability, reaching several hundred, or even a thousand percent. Moreover, our deposits of practically free raw materials are unlimited.
Sergey Konin: The annual global volume of high-quality organic fertilizers is $70 billion, and, according to some forecasts, by 2006 it will reach $100 billion. In the UK alone, there are 445 farms that process organic matter using worms; in the USA, up to 20% of all farms (500 thousand) use worms. ), while 70-120 million tons of various organic fertilizers are sold annually in the States.
According to the PIK corporation, which annually holds a conference in Vladimir under the eloquent title "Earthworms and Soil Fertility", there are now no more than a hundred farms in Russia engaged in breeding worms, which for a huge country is a drop in the bucket, and the vast majority of them have been formed in the last two or three years, having discovered for myself a completely free and very promising niche.
Sergey Konin: According to my calculations, our country requires 1.5 million tons of vermicompost annually, but the total production is a hundredth of the requirement. If last year we produced 120 tons, this year we will produce 1.5 thousand tons, but if we produced ten times more, we would sell everything without problems. In total, Russia currently produces just over 5 thousand tons of humus.
Wild worms
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| Photo: ILYA PITALEV |
| A well-fed earthworm weighs 0.54 g |
According to professor of biology Anatoly Igonin, the phrase “red Californian worm” has actually become nothing more than a well-known brand: in Russia this species is practically not cultivated, and ordinary earthworms are often sold under this brand.
Anatoly Igonin: We checked the “Californian” and found out that it is genetically no different from an ordinary rain one.
Meanwhile, the difference between “wild” and so-called technological (cultivated, or domesticated) worms is very significant.
Anatoly Igonin: The “technological” worm differs from the “wild” one in that it is adapted to a certain type of food, which it is able to process extremely efficiently, daily consuming compost equal to its own weight (0.2 g), and has gigantic fertility (one worm is capable of producing the beginning of 1-1.5 thousand new worms) and endurance, remaining active at a temperature of +9-28°C. In addition, Californian is simply not adapted to our conditions due to its southern origin.
Professor Igonin has every right to say so for one simple reason: in the mid-80s, at the Department of Biology of Vladimir State University, he bred a breed of worm, which later received the name “Vladimir hybrid “Prospector””, by crossing Russian (northern) and Kyrgyz (southern) populations dung worms of the species Eisenia foetida.
Sergey Konin: In 2000, we acquired Professor Igonin’s patent for a method of breeding technological worms with a population of worms, which we registered under the trademark “Prospector,” and now, under an agreement with Moscow State University, we are preparing a genetic passport for this worm. This will allow us to have priority over the Americans, who are still leading the world in vermiculture.
Vladimir Kleshkanov, who graduated from the Moscow Aviation Institute and became a biologist in five years, claims that in a couple of years he is ready to develop a “technological” one out of any worm, which is what he is actively doing. Why did you buy a microbiological laboratory for $50 thousand?
First bite
One of the main advantages of vermicultivation is the raw materials lying, so to speak, under your feet - this can be any organic waste, from cardboard and fallen leaves to restaurant leftovers.
Yuri Yurkov, director of the company "Ekos": In every city, up to 30% of the waste is organic, which is potential food for the worm, but no one is doing this, although for municipal services the organization of such farms would largely solve the problem of waste processing.
Vladimir Kleshkanov: We have excellent experience in processing sewer sludge with worms. The resulting biocompost is no longer toxic, it does not have an unpleasant odor and does not carry pathogenic microflora.
According to farmers, Lately The Moscow mayor also became interested in the “wormy” problem of waste recycling.
But the most favorite dish for worms is still ordinary manure, which, according to the All-Russian Research Institute of Organic Fertilizers and Peat, more than 900 million tons have accumulated in the country's agricultural farms - worms cannot eat even in ten years. The only “but”: fresh manure is not only unsuitable for worms, but can even kill them.
Vladimir Kleshkanov: During the initial period of decomposition, nitrogen is actively released from the manure in the form of ammonia, and the worms will simply die in such an environment. Therefore, manure must be composted, for which natural conditions it takes six months to a year. Modern technologies for pre-fermentation (decomposition of complex proteins, starches, sugars) allow this process to be reduced to a week.
Those who have their own raw materials are in the most advantageous position - the same Konin, whose corporation includes seven subsidiary farms producing 30 thousand tons of manure - more than enough for their own needs. Those who do not have livestock are forced to buy manure.
Yuri Yurkov: It is most profitable to create a “worm” farm in close proximity to the raw materials - this will significantly reduce transportation costs. For example, my needs for manure are fully satisfied by the neighboring state farm, near which I rented a greenhouse for worms - 800 heads of state farm cattle annually produce about 5 thousand tons of manure, while I currently need only 200-300 tons for processing. One ton costs 100-120 rubles, but from it you can get 600 kg of humus, the wholesale price of which is 6 thousand rubles. per ton.
However, you can find raw materials, and even a farm where you can rent space, much cheaper. Sergey Konin: On many farms, manure simply disappears, and they are ready to sell it for a nominal fee - 15-20 rubles. per ton, if only they could take it out. The agricultural holding itself can now be bought very cheaply - many are happy to sell, since they simply do not have the working capital to support their own growth.
True, there is one difficulty in selecting food for worms, due to which you can lose most of the livestock.
Anatoly Igonin: At birth, worms adapt to a specific food - in fact, for them, the first bite determines digestion throughout their lives. Therefore, even the beginning of the supply of feed from a neighboring farm, where the cattle are probably fed a little differently, the worms may not be able to withstand - this is why it is necessary to purchase and order worms in their infancy, still in cocoons, counting on a certain feed.
Yuri Yurkov: Adaptation of adult worms to new food takes from one to three weeks, and at this stage up to 15% of the population may die.
Where do worms live?
The love and respect of all entrepreneurs involved in vermiculture for their own worms is immediately evident - the same way an owner loves his dog or a village grandmother loves her wet-nurse cow. Igonin even has a favorite expression: “People have let me down, but worms never,” and in the accounting department of “PIK” worms are even considered “fattened animals.” Actually, this is completely true. My question is “Is it possible to reproduce worms by division?” horrified Anatoly Igonin: The fact that after cutting each half a new worm is obtained is nothing more than a massive and terrible misconception. In fact, such an injury is fatal for a worm - after all, it has one esophagus, one nervous system.
Despite the fact that worms by their nature are hermaphrodites (and therefore even a single worm will begin to bear offspring after some time), a pair is still much more productive. IN natural conditions to search for a partner, the worms crawl to the surface at night, wrap themselves around each other, as a result of which after a few days the female (the worm acting as a female at the moment) forms a cocoon, gradually moving along the body to the head, from which after another two or three Weeks, an average of two to three worms appear.
There are also differences in the way the farm is organized - worms can be kept in wooden boxes or in beds, outdoors or indoors.
Sergey Konin: We started breeding using American technology, from wooden multi-tiered racks, but when the number of worms exceeded 5 million, it became unreasonably expensive. After which we transferred all production to beds, to a heated room. With enough space, this is more than justified. A barn or vegetable storage area is well suited for this purpose.
Unlike Konin, Vladimir Kleshkanov keeps worms on the street: As long as the worms are comfortable and have enough food, they will not go anywhere, and “outdoor” technology can significantly reduce heating and rental costs. The only negative is that the winter, cold period, during which the worms go into suspended animation (hibernation), falls out of the cycle, but I use it for packaging and processing vermicompost produced in the summer.
To feed the worm, food (compost) is gradually placed on one side of the ridge, towards which, eating the food, the worms move, leaving behind droppings (coprolite) - this, in fact, is a valuable vermicompost. All that remains is to sequentially cut off part of the ridge with ready-made humus, sifting out inorganic particles and therefore not digested by worms. At the same time, the other side of the ridge is sprinkled with fresh compost. That is why the half-meter-high ridge gradually moves around the room - professionals call it “active.”
Wormy future
The profitability of a vermifarm is quite simple to calculate - it is entirely determined by the ability of worms to reproduce.
Sergey Konin: We offer franchising work to everyone - producing vermicompost under our Green Peak brand. To start a business, only 100 thousand rubles may be enough, of which 80 thousand will go to purchase 40 kg of worms (200 thousand pieces), 15 thousand for technology and 5 thousand for training. The beds can be placed in greenhouses, basements or former barns. Under favorable conditions, worms are able to annually increase their biomass by 1-1.5 thousand times, increasing your turnover in a similar proportion. A square meter of a ridge 50 cm high and 1 m wide annually produces 1 ton of humus (provided that 10-50 thousand worms live on one meter), and all investments will pay off in a maximum of six months, while the cost of vermicompost is 1-2 rubles. per kg, selling price - 5-6 rubles. per kg.
At the same time, caring for worms and collecting humus requires minimal costs: for example, in one of the PIK complexes with an area of 288 square meters. 11 m ridges produce 250-300 tons of humus annually (1.8 million rubles), and four workers are required to fully service them.
However, if there is a sufficient amount of money supply, there is no need to wait until the worm biomass reaches industrial volumes.
Vladimir Kleshkanov: Last year, we bought three vermiculture farms, each of which cost about 1.5 million rubles, of which approximately 1.25 million went to purchase 5 million worms (25 kopecks each), the rest - for arrangement, technology, equipment and training.
According to American scientists (this has not been confirmed by Russian scientists), ideally a worm can live up to 16 years, bringing profit.
Another product - "Super Humisol" (called humistar by "PIK") - is an extract of useful substances from vermicompost, which can only be produced by technologically advanced farms, as it requires special equipment.
Vladimir Kleshkanov: To develop a technology for obtaining a highly concentrated extract from vermicompost, I found it useful technical education(study at the Moscow Aviation Institute and a candidate's degree technical sciences). Using fairly subtle physicochemical and microbiological processes, as well as ultrasonic cavitation, we were able to transfer up to 95% of the beneficial substances from vermicompost into an aqueous solution without destroying the most valuable microflora. Therefore, to treat a ton of seeds, only 100 ml of our “Super Humisol” is required.
If wholesale prices for vermicompost are now around 5-6 rubles. per kg, then a one and a half liter plastic bottle with “Humisol” costs 10-15 rubles.
Sergey Konin: On average, we regularly send a batch of 1.5 thousand pieces (each for 30 kopecks) to Moscow fishing stores. There are especially many orders in winter, when you can’t just dig up worms in the garden.
Vermicompost is also actively used in almost all soil mixtures and biological fertilizers, the demand for which is increasing in geometric progression with the approaching summer season.
Vladimir Kleshkanov: We add sand, humus and turf soil to our own vermicompost - the result is the “Success Plus” soil mixture. Worm biomass contains all the essential amino acids, worm meal is an excellent bioadditive for animal feed, the addition of live worms to the diet of birds significantly increases egg production and the growth rate of chickens, extracts from worms have medicinal properties and could be widely used in cosmetology.
Sergey Konin: Russia has about 200 million hectares of cultivated land, and $20 billion worth of mineral fertilizers are produced annually, more than 90% of which is exported, mainly to China and other countries in Southeast Asia. If Russia finally adopts an organic farming program, then agricultural farms and enterprises will have to switch from chemistry to organics, that is, to worms.
At the same time, 6-9 tons of vermicompost are needed per 1 hectare to restore and increase soil fertility at an average wholesale price of $200 per ton. The result is an astronomical market capacity - more than $150 billion. However, as the entrepreneurs themselves admit, everything depends on the solvency of agricultural enterprises and farmers. So far, vermicompost can only be purchased by enterprises such as the Lokomotiv stadium (for covering the lawn), ginseng farmers, or the American embassy, which sent its supply manager to Kovrov.
Vladimir Kleshkanov: Summer residents are our main consumers; most farmers and collective farms, whose needs can amount to thousands of tons, cannot yet afford vermicompost. But with the development of agriculture, the market can increase many times over.
This is why many entrepreneurs, although they prefer not to advertise it, have recently been actively looking towards the West and East, where the market potential can be almost unlimited. The fact that the previously lifeless sands of the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait have become more like blooming gardens is largely due to vermicompost. That is why, according to Sergei Konin, world prices for vermicompost are dictated by Arab countries (their only requirement is not to use compost based on pig manure), and wholesale prices for high-quality vermicompost reach up to $2 thousand per ton.
Sergey Konin: In the future, we are going to give worms for fattening (breeding) to private farms in villages - this is what the Chinese have been doing for a long time. According to my calculations, the average family, thanks to the worm, will be able to earn an additional 100-300 thousand rubles annually.
GENNADY KOSKIN
Today Andrey Strelets, Chief of the General Staff of the Earthworm Army of Kazakhstan, reports from the scene. I present his report with minimal edits.
“Hello Sergei Stepanovich! I was very afraid for the earthworms - that something would happen to them during transportation. But they arrived to us safely, everything was fine. The journey took only three days. All skeptics who claimed that the worms would die on the road have wiped their noses. 
True, at the time the shipment of worms arrived, I was in Karaganda - I went to Field Day. Met the gen. director of AgroTek and agreed on the equipment. There were many peasants from different regions, I invited them to my place in Petropavlovsk. They couldn’t even believe that I had already brought “Staratel” earthworms from Russia and would produce vermicompost on my farm. Tomorrow I will add vermicompost to the soil to begin experiments with different crops.
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On October 24, 2011, the Green-PIK Company received a diploma and a silver medal at the Golden Autumn 2011 exhibition. The international specialized exhibition "AgroTech Russia-2011" was held in Moscow from October 6 to 9 on the territory of the All-Russian Exhibition within the framework of the 13th Russian agro-industrial exhibition "Golden Autumn-2011".
The Green-PIK company took part in the competition “For innovative developments in the field of agricultural science.” We submitted for consideration to the organizing committee of the competition the project “Method of year-round highly efficient cultivation of BIO-products using soil mixtures based on vermicompost and LED supplementary lighting (green BIO-conveyor).”
I already wrote about our successful experience of growing vegetables under super-bright LEDs in my posts: “LEDs for a green bio-conveyor” (http://site/6830.html) and “The LED revolution in vegetable growing has come true!.html”, which caused a lot of disputes and discussions among readers of my Blog.
During the exhibition, the Green-PIK Company, at its corporate stand “Earthworms”, also presented a full range of high-quality new generation bio-organic fertilizers - separated vermicompost, Gumistar, BioZemlya - developed for professionals working in agriculture, and simply for amateur gardeners who are making the transition to ecological farming and growing organic products.
The tasting of organic vegetables grown exclusively with natural bio-fertilizers was a great success! 5th graders from Moscow school No. 548, who came to personally meet the earthworm “Staratel”, the main creator of soil fertility, devoured juicy sweet peppers, lettuce and aromatic greens by both cheeks!
In the coming years, organic vegetables will be grown on a large scale in year-round complexes using bio-organic fertilizers with drip irrigation under LEDs. These can be multi-story towers, which are advisable to build primarily where there are not enough sunny days, low temperatures or expensive land. But gradually this technology will conquer an increasingly large part of the clean products market.
With the opening of the Green Office in Moscow on Sirenevy Boulevard, Muscovites will have the opportunity to get acquainted with this technology any day and make sure of its effectiveness.
Information: The Russian agro-industrial exhibition “Golden Autumn” is held annually according to the Order of the Government of the Russian Federation No. 536-r. dated April 11, 2000 and dedicated to the celebration of the Day of Agricultural and Processing Industry Workers.
The exhibition was organized by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation with the support of the Moscow Government, Russian Academy Agricultural Sciences, JSC "GAO All-Russian Exhibition Center". In 2006, the exhibition “Golden Autumn” received the blessing of His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Alexy II.
“Golden Autumn” has been the country’s main agricultural forum for more than 10 years, preserving the best traditions of the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition and developing modern technologies for the exhibition business in the field of agriculture.
An Almanac dedicated to the experience of successful Russian environmental enterprises will be published in the near future. The initiator and grantor of the project is ZAO CB Citibank. The project is being implemented by the Sustainable Development Foundation (www.fund-sd.ru). On his instructions, Elena Vitalievna Volkova, an employee of the Center for Saving Technologies, prepared material for publication in the Almanac about the Green-PIK company, which we present to the readers of the Blog today.
The research and production association "Green-PIK" was created in Kovrov Vladimir region Konin Sergei Stepanovich in 1989. It went through a number of reorganizations: the cooperative “PIK”, the scientific and production cooperative “PIK”, the Scientific and Production Association “Green-PIK” - increasingly focusing its activities on ecology and innovation.
Our business is based on 4 postulates: ecology, quality, innovation and human capital.
Currently, Green-PIK is Russia's leading enterprise for the production of high-quality bio-organic fertilizers based on vermicomposting technology - processing organic cattle waste using Staratel earthworms. It was Green-PIK that was at the forefront of creating commercial vermicompost for consumers and forming a market for this unique organic fertilizer. The enterprise is built into world system enterprises producing vermicompost, has a patent for the method of breeding the earthworm “Staratel” - a specialized technological line of compost worms for vermicomposting, has the only “Earthworm” research institute in Russia, a school named after A.M. Igonin, where more than 1000 vermitechnologists have been trained who want to organize their own vermiproduction of various scales. As a result of joint work with the biochemical laboratory of Lomonosov Moscow State University, recipes for optimal dosages of microelements were developed for the liquid organic fertilizer “Gumistar “Green-PIK” based on vermicompost for 27 types of vegetable, fruit and berry and ornamental crops. Over the course of three years, the drug underwent successful laboratory and field tests.
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This news came from Brazil, and the Good News Agency wrote about it.
It's no secret that surrounding ourselves with beautiful things and phenomena, we feel happier. Taking this indisputable fact into account, specialists from the Brazilian architectural studio Rosenbaum and the team of the television show Caldeirao do Huck decided to provide all possible assistance to low-income families by improving appearance their homes without significant material costs.
A family of a mother and two daughters living in a small house on the outskirts of Sao Paulo (Brazil) received a fabulous hanging garden made from used plastic bottles and cables as a gift. With just a little facelift, the vertical wall, adorned with rows of linearly hung container bottles filled with soil and vegetation, exceeded all the expectations of the creators and the home's occupants. Flowers, spices and medicinal herbs were planted in the bottles, which not only perform a decorative function, but over time will bring real benefits to the family.
You can get acquainted with the work of the authors of the creative idea by visiting the official website of their architectural studio: http://www.rosenbaum.com.br/
A few touches should be added to this idea to get more out of this innovative design idea. The bottles should be filled with BioEarth, the main component of which is vermicompost, which will allow you to obtain a harvest of bio-vegetables and bio-greens. And drip irrigation with the simplest automation will provide plants in a timely manner and in the required volumes not only with moisture, but also deliver the humistar solution to the roots of the plants, and also maintain soil fertility at the required level for the entire growing season.
Recently I heard rumors about extraordinary people living in Suzdal who put the ideas of green rural tourism into practice. I was told that Nikolai created the “ideal vegetable garden” and that last year he hosted 1,700 foreign tourists. Without delaying getting to know their unique experience, my colleagues and I went to Nikolai and Svetlana Peskarev. The Peskarevs' house is located right on Lenin Street, which crosses the city through the center. The owner and his wife greeted us very cordially, showed us their property and fed us a home-cooked lunch, which amazes the most demanding tourists from different countries. Even Italian gourmets, after the excursion to the Peskarevs and the meal, could not contain their emotions and applauded the hospitable hosts.
Land plot 10 acres. About two hundred square meters is occupied by a small house with a veranda and a landscaped courtyard. The gates to the site are usually open during the day, and tourists passing by cannot deny themselves the pleasure of admiring the extraordinary view of flowering and ornamental plants in the flower beds framed by wild stones.
But what amazes me the most is the vegetable garden. This is truly a unique, so to speak, tourist product. You will not see a single weed throughout the entire area. Perfect order and cleanliness. The plants look healthy, fragrant, the leaves have a rich green color. The vegetable garden seems much larger due to the proper placement of plantings of various crops that do not block each other from sunlight.
Nikolai said that he has been gardening since their arrival in Suzdal in 1991. He uses the most advanced experience in vegetable growing, always intelligently and consciously applying agricultural techniques. From the first day, he abandoned mineral fertilizers, using green manure (mainly mustard) to increase soil fertility. Organic farming is an ironclad principle for him. Therefore, when he learned about vermicompost and humistar (liquid extract from vermicompost) produced by Green-PIK, he did not miss the opportunity to use them on his site. I am very pleased with the result, because I noticed not only an increase in yield, but also an increase in the fruiting period of the crops.
For example, from Mitlider he only took what concerns the placement of plants. Narrow beds oriented from south to north, on which cultivated plants are planted in two rows, wide and comfortable passages. The garden is not dug up, because the beds and passages are planned many years in advance and do not change places. He processes the beds exclusively with a Fokina flat cutter. The resulting bio-harvest of vegetables, berries, fruits and herbs is enough to feed tourists in the summer and make provisions for the winter. The overall impression of what he saw was amazing. Despite all the apparent simplicity, you feel perfection, close to ideal. Therefore, we will return more than once to these unique people who, with their work and creative attitude to business, increase the international authority of the country. They have achieved success that makes sense to promote and disseminate. Next week I decided to send my journalists to Suzdal, because the country should know about this unique experience.
We are a hospitable people, and professional hospitality is tourism. We want to develop green rural tourism and ecotourism. Today, most residents of large cities cannot even imagine the possibility of a civilized holiday within the country. And the Peskarevs created a miracle that you can touch and taste.
I quite deliberately put these two problems in one chain: it is impossible to raise Russian villages without providing them with access to city markets, in the literal and figurative sense.
To prepare food, we need the simplest products: cereals, meat, milk, poultry, vegetables, herbs, berries, fruits... All this can be successfully produced by our peasants; moreover, they dream of earning a living from their labor, which was respected at all times. But if you go to any store, you most likely will not find products produced in your area. And if you see it, it will be an exception that confirms the basic rule.
The link between the city and the village has been practically destroyed. Cities live their own lives and no longer participate at all in the life of the areas surrounding them, do not need them... with the exception of mass excursions of the city population “to nature”, after which mountains of garbage and smoldering fires remain on the banks of rivers and lakes, in forests and groves.
It’s impossible to say that cities are starving - that’s why they market relations that there is no shortage. You can buy everything. The townspeople are well-fed and happy. Therefore, it is not so easy for peasants in the regions to find their place in the market. It is not enough to offer food products. They must be better. Tastier, healthier, fresher and, if possible, not more expensive than “overseas” ones.But most importantly, products from the regions must be organic, bio (eco) products!!!
Just a few years ago, such a project would have been impossible: there was simply no domestic technology for producing commercial vermicompost by processing organic waste with earthworms. But today all conditions have been created for the transition to ecological farming. In Russian biofactories, tons of effective earthworms are cultivated, known under the trademark “Staratel”. The invention of an active (walking) bed for growing earthworms and producing vermicompost made a revolution in vermicultivation, reducing the production cycle by 140 times!!! And the production of humistar (liquid vermicompost) has opened up new opportunities for the introduction of drip irrigation. Our vermicompost is known in the European Union and the Middle East as an environmentally friendly fertilizer for the production of organic (bio) products.
Here is the key to solving the problem! And it is universal - the transition to ecological agriculture. The same chain: ecological farming, production of organic products, ecotourism and green rural tourism. Sane people living in cities are ready to give preference to organic food grown on the principles of ecological farming. City residents are willing to pay for organized outdoor recreation, including sitting with a fishing rod on a crucian carp lake.
To restore the respect of city dwellers to rural residents, spells about hard peasant labor are not enough. Rural residents must abandon the methods of “complete chemicalization” and adopt a new ideology based on an ecological lifestyle and production. Make it so that city residents are interested in coming to visit you, seeing humane animal husbandry, and making sure that eco-farmers produce food in compliance with the highest environmental standards.
To develop projects of green rural tourism and ecotourism, which in itself is a very profitable and fantastically interesting business. In general, the connection between the city and the village can only take place along one line - ecological. There is no other option.
According to experts, today they occupy about 2 million hectares - this is 2% of all arable land in the country. An affordable, simple, and most importantly, environmentally friendly way to solve the problem can be vermicomposting, or recycling organic waste using earthworms. This technology is used quite widely around the world - for example, in the American San Quentin prison, food department waste became the raw material for vermicomposters, in Hong Kong vermicomposting is used to process the organic component of solid household waste, and in Mexico they use worms to get rid of waste from the coffee industry. In Russia today, attention is paid, rather, to the production of organic fertilizers - vermicompost - using vermitechnologies. This area is still poorly developed, but new players are entering the market who want to develop technologies, increase production volumes and, in the future, enter export markets.
Made in USA
The technology itself for using earthworms in processing organic waste appeared in the middle of the last century in the USA. Later it migrated to Europe, from where it came to the USSR in 1989 and was inherited by Russia. “A small brochure published in 1947 for $1 by worm breeding pioneer Thomas Barrett about earthworms, their intensive cultivation and use, infected many Americans - from ordinary people to businessmen,” an expert in the field of vermitechnology, associate professor, later wrote in his book “Earthworms.” Vladimir State University Igor Titov, consulting on Russian vermiprojects.
The technology is based on the earthworm’s ability to process agricultural waste (primarily manure, but we can talk about almost any organic matter), leaving behind biohumus, or vermicompost, enriched with useful substances.
As it turns out, with the help of worms, compost can be produced much faster than it happens under natural conditions. In addition, such a fertilizer contains macro- and micronutrients in forms accessible to plants, phytohormones and humic substances that act as plant growth regulators.
“The use of vermicomposts makes it possible to reduce the ripening time of crops by 7-10 days, extend the fruiting period of plants by 2-3 weeks and increase productivity by 1.5-2 times,” clarifies Igor Titov.
“Fertilizers based on vermicomposting are among the most effective, because they activate soil agrobiocenoses, promote the formation of humus, increasing the moisture-holding properties of soils,” agrees Yakov Lyubovedsky, director of project management of the Union of Organic Farming.
In the production of vermicompost, red Californian worms are often used: there is a fairly widespread belief that it was this species that was bred during long-term selection by the founders of vermitechnology in the USA. However, according to market participants, California red is rather a brand under which different types of earthworms can be sold. There are also patented hybrids on the domestic market - for example, the Vladimir “Staratel”.
Basically, when producing vermicompost, producers use the “walking beds” method (by analogy with ordinary garden beds, with the only difference that instead of strawberries or carrots, broodstock of worms are placed in it). On one side of such a bed, raw materials (for example, manure) are placed, and on the other, humus is taken (it is sifted before sale). Private producers on small farms use the box method, which saves space.
Selected fertilizers
However, the use of vermitechnologies specifically for the processing of organic waste in Russia is extremely rare - the market is mostly interested in the production and sale of the resulting vermicompost. The worm itself is also sold - to launch new productions, as feed for small poultry and fish farms, as well as for fishing (a special type of worm, the dendrobene, is in demand here).
“On the Russian domestic market, with the exception of individual experimental installations, environmental equipment for the disposal of livestock waste and the production of components for the full reproduction of soil fertility is not produced or sold,” says Ivan Garayev, General Director of the Institute of Organic Agriculture.
But there is no exact data on the market for waste processing using worms: according to experts and industry participants, today there are several dozen enterprises operating there (excluding private farms). The market capacity is theoretically large - up to 1.5 million tons of vermicompost per year - but in reality the count is only in the thousands of tons. A business based on vermitechnologies is often not the main one and, at least, not the only one for its owners. In general, this is not surprising, given the not very large production volumes and weak sales, amounting to only a few million rubles per year. As a result, this business largely rests on the enthusiasm of its founders.
Thus, a notable participant in the vermicomposting market is the farm of the president of the Point of Support multifunctional complex Gennady Mulyarchik in the Kaluga region (the main company supplies electronic components to Russia). His business began as a hobby, and eventually developed into the “Vermicoffee” project, known on the Internet through a specialized forum of the same name. The farm produces vermicompost, vermigrunt with 25 percent vermicompost content, and organic fertilizer “Vermikofe”.
One of the leading market players is the Lipetsk company Flora-L (in 2016 it changed its legal entity to Synergy LLC). One of its founders, General Director Sergei Kurbatov, also owns a business carrying out electrical installation work in the Voronezh region (data from the Kartoteka.ru service). "Flora-L" under the EBG brand produces humic preparations - vermicompost and soil mixtures (finished product for growing and replanting all types of plants). The company supplies products to agricultural industries under government contracts, but the supply amounts are small - within a few hundred thousand rubles.
The company Concern Peak has a large production facility in the Vladimir region. Its founder is Sergei Konin, a former deputy of the regional legislative assembly and a local entrepreneur who was involved, among other things, in real estate (he owns, in particular, the Vladimir Zarya Hotel, which is going through bankruptcy proceedings). Among his failed projects is an eco-village in Suzdal, where vermitechnology was supposed to be used in agricultural production.
For a long time, the largest producer of vermicompost and worms in the country remained Alexander Abdurazakov’s company - Russian Vermicompost LLC, which has been operating since 2004 in Pirogovo near Moscow and annually produced about 1000 tons of vermicompost. The company was known on the market, including special type worm - Russian Moscow hybrid. It also supplied products to foreign markets, including Azerbaijan (the vermicompost was supposed to be used there to dispose of oil spills) and the UAE; there was a confirmed contract to send vermicompost to Syria, but its implementation was prevented by the war. Today the company temporarily suspended operations due to unrelated business circumstances.
Give up the beds
The BioEraGroup company, which launched vermiproduction on a farm in the Penza region at the end of 2014, intends to compete with the existing players in the vermicompost market. The company gained relative fame thanks to its participation in the Skolkovo Startup Village competition in 2016, where it presented the liquid biological product Agroverm based on vermicompost and was among the finalists, and the BioEra-Penza company eventually became a Skolkovo resident.
Today, the company’s facilities process up to 1000 tons of manure per year; 10-12 tons of vermicompost are produced here per month, as well as 2-3 tons of Agroverm. In two years, sales here are expected to increase to 50 million rubles. According to the company, the use of its drug can increase yields by 15-40%.
According to the Kartoteka.ru service, the main owner of BioEraGroup shares is Sergey Kolos, who also holds the post of CEO. One of the entrepreneur’s latest projects was the launch of Veterok markets in the capital. However, BioEraGroup itself names Kemerovo developer Evgeny Dyakov as the owner, who, according to a company representative, acts as an investor in the project. The vermifarm cost 18 million rubles, another 5 million rubles. spent on launching the production of products from the single-cell algae chlorella in the Kursk region. By the way, Dyakov is also a partner of Alexander German in the Sunprotein company, which produces protein products based on sunflower seeds.
BioEraGroup claims that they have developed and use instead of walking beds a unique system for the production of vermicompost, which is called modular here - we are talking about long boxes (modules) on legs into which the substrate is poured and the worm population is placed.
“The main feature of the technology is the easy availability of oxygen from below. “Food” is supplied to the modules from above, and the worms migrate after it from the lower layer. It is trimmed - this is vermicompost,” explains Roman Titov, head of the BioEraGroup examination department.
The company is aimed at producing large volumes of products and wants to deal mainly with wholesale supplies, while competitors often prefer to work in the small retail market, packaging fertilizers in small containers. In total, according to BioEraGroup, there are 160,000 agricultural farms in Russia that are interested in processing organic waste, and the new market participant is counting on them.
Stay alive
“Earn a million by breeding worms” - the Internet is replete with tempting offers. In fact, a business based on vermitechnologies is costly, complex, and most importantly, not necessarily extremely profitable.
A box of worm stock for further breeding, for example, on the farm of the Ural entrepreneur Alexander Sept costs 1,000 rubles, a batch can start from five boxes. The production of vermicompost, as BioEraGroup clarifies, has low margins, and it becomes truly profitable if food is made from worms. Vermicompost can be sold for 8 rubles. for 1 kg (we are talking about wholesale), and feed - 250-300 rubles. But the most profitable product is chlorella-based detox drinks, which cost more than 500 rubles. per bottle of less than 0.5 liters.
In addition, the vermicompost business is difficult and expensive to scale. A vermifarm consumes a lot of electricity - production must maintain a certain temperature and humidity, and in some cases, lighting. “Vermicomposting technology requires a professional approach, qualified personnel, and knowledge of natural processes,” adds Yakov Lyubovedsky. The vermibusiness suffers, among other things, due to seasonality - for example, farmers buy the same Agriverm in the spring and autumn, and in winter there is a decline in sales. And you only need a little preparation - 2 liters of concentrate is enough for 1 hectare of land; the soil needs to be treated 2-3 times per season.
But the key problem remains the lack of mass demand for humic fertilizers - in addition to vermicompost, these are products based on brown coal, sapropel and compost. All of them are used in Russia in minute quantities, clarifies Igor Titov.
New enterprises are periodically opened in the country, but they often leave the market, simply not finding a buyer for their products. For example, this happened with a complex in the village of Ozerki in the Altai Territory.
“According to the Ministry of Agriculture, organic fertilizers are used only on 6% of land. Moreover, these fertilizers are practically manure, which is applied to the ground without preliminary treatment,” says Ivan Garayev. “Many people may know what vermicompost and biocompost are, but a man believes that there is nothing better than manure,” agrees Igor Titov.
Manufacturers also have to compete with products distributed in supermarkets and flower shops, which can often be inferior in vermicompost content, but are sold cheaper. Thus, 3 liters of concentrated vermicompost from Polya Russkie LLC in the Obi chain costs 199 rubles, while Agroverm sells for 150 rubles per 1 liter.
But the main thing is that for now most farmers prefer mineral fertilizers, the purchase of which, moreover, is subsidized by the state. Thus, according to the Ministry of Agriculture as of December 2016, agricultural producers purchased 12% more mineral fertilizers than a year earlier (2.7 million tons of active substance). There are no special state programs to support vermicompost producers yet.
The vermitechnology market partly hopes for the development of organic agriculture in Russia. “The new GOST R 56508-2015 for organic products allows the use of vermicompost as an organic fertilizer without restrictions, as well as the use of aqueous and alkaline extracts from it,” the IFC Tochka Opory clarifies.
By the way, it seems that BioEraGroup will be able to count on support from the state. Evgeny Dyakov’s partner Alexander German, among other things, controls the company “Bio Technologies Chistopol”, which is one of the founders of JSC “Regional Center for Biotechnology Engineering of the Republic of Tatarstan” together with the regional Ministry of Land and Property Relations. The center has already initiated the creation of an ecological agriculture program in Tatarstan, which may receive state status.
The real solution for vermicompost producers in Russia could be export supplies, especially taking into account the devaluation of the ruble. Most producers want to enter the UAE market first, where there is very little fertile soil.
“I tried to sell vermicompost to Arabs,” private investor Andrei Fomenko, former head of the Tyumen company Biogeneration for the production of vermicompost, does not believe in the prospects for Russian exports. “But the entire volume of vermicompost to the Gulf countries comes from India.”
In addition, it is expensive to transport vermicompost from Russia; as a result, attempts at wholesale export deliveries do not go beyond trial batches.
The resource ikovrov.ru published an exclusive interview with the famous Kovrov businessman Sergei Konin, whose name was constantly heard during the mayorship of Irina Tabatskova. Now everything has changed, and Mr. Konin has moved away from politics.
In comments Online City residents responded favorably to the publication. The only correction they make is that there is a different street in the photo, which is in better condition than most other roads. Here is the full publication with all photographs (above photo: zebra-tv.ru)
Sergei Konin: “I don’t see myself in politics”
For the attention of IKovrov readers - an exclusive interview with eco-businessman Sergei Konin. We talk about life after the change of the head of the city, the development of “green” technologies, the Farmers Market under construction, the sale of property, the problems of the current municipal government and projects that had to be abandoned.
– Our readers are very interested in where you live now – in Kovrov or have you left our city? What is your business now?
– Since 1986, I have lived and worked in Kovrov and have no plans to change my place of residence. I have many friends who invite me to move to them to develop their business, for example, to Crimea, Sochi, Malta.
The main direction of our business since 2010 is the development of “green” technologies, which are now in great demand. We are the leading manufacturer of vermicompost in Russia. Currently, the Earthworm Breeding Farm in Kovrov has begun to operate. One of our patented projects, the Solar Bio-Vegetarium, is recommended for implementation when developing a Far Eastern hectare. We are the developers of a unique franchise for eco-farmers, which we are now promoting throughout Russia and the CIS countries, already having more than 15 dealers in the regions.
– How has your life changed (and has it changed at all) after Irina Tabatskova ceased to be the head of the city of Kovrov?
– At that time, I headed the Expert Council under the City Administration, working on a voluntary basis 2 days a week. The Council was conceived as a body that eliminates bureaucratic barriers based on the “one-stop shop” principle. Over the period of its work, the Expert Council has assisted in resolving hundreds of problems, offering optimal solutions. The quality of the work of the Expert Council can be judged by the fact that not a single proposal was rejected.
Condition of the road surface on the street. Vatutina today. Let me remind you that we took on the most difficult tasks. For example, to put an end to bad roads in Kovrov, we purchased a new asphalt concrete plant, asphalt paver, heavy rollers, milling machine, and other equipment. We managed to overhaul the bridge across the Klyazma River, Stroiteley Street, Vatutina Street (with local storm drainage), Cosmonauts, Muromskaya, Kirov, made a road to the Zarya microdistrict, etc. Everyone knows well what the condition of the roads in Kovrov is today.
At a meeting of the socio-political council under the head of the city. In Kovrov at that time there was a problem of defrauded shareholders. This problem was created by the developer - the Municipal Housing Development Fund. For 4 years, shareholders waited for their apartments, but the buildings of houses without windows and doors stuck out from piles of construction waste. The builders left the projects because the Fund had debts to them in the amount of 11 million rubles. At the City Council, I was persuaded to head this Fund. Exactly 5 months later, the five-story, nine-story and fourteen-story buildings were commissioned. At the same time, shareholders did not pay a single ruble in excess of the agreement.
If I had known that for this I would not receive awards and gratitude, but criminal prosecution, then I would never have undertaken to complete the construction of these houses. But at that moment I was sorry to see how 500 people who trusted the Municipal Fund were suffering, and I wanted to restore the townspeople’s trust in the authorities.
After the change of government, I had more time to develop my business based on proprietary “green” technologies. As a result, today the Green-PIK company occupies leading positions in Russia and in the world in a number of developments, primarily related to ecological agriculture. I like this work better than endlessly overcoming bureaucratic barriers and being called in for interrogation.
– Therapeutic building on Abelmana, construction of a bathhouse on the street. Belinsky - excellent undertakings, a lot of money and effort have been invested. Why were these projects never completed?
– After the change of government, these projects were put an end to. We lost all the money that we had invested in the therapeutic building, because the contractor - the municipal enterprise Kovrovstroyzakazchik - was deliberately declared bankrupt.
The building of the therapeutic building on the street. Abelman. Photo 2017 It's a similar story with the bathhouse. We offered the city modern project, which included a whole range of services, including public baths, saunas, a hairdresser, laundry, dry cleaning, a related goods store, a cafe and even a gym. We chose a very convenient place for the townspeople, two steps from the trolleybus stop. The developer of the bathhouse was the Municipal Housing Development Fund of the city of Kovrov.
However, this project was politicized, construction was stopped immediately after I was fired from the Foundation. After a series of changes in leadership (three directors in a year and a half), the Foundation suffered the same fate. He was bankrupt, and the bathhouse under construction was sold for next to nothing to a private individual.
As usual, no one was held responsible for this.
Unfinished bathhouse on the street. Belinsky. Photo from 2015. – How do you assess the current government in Kovrov? What do you think officials and deputies should pay more attention to?
– In fact, the key problem of any municipal government is the chronic lack of budgetary resources. The Administration and the Council are practically powerless in this matter, because business mainly pays taxes at the regional and federal levels. Therefore, in any regional city there is the same picture of depressing poverty and the decline of the urban economy.
Therefore, I do not undertake to evaluate the current government, but somewhere in the depths of my soul I hope that it is doing everything possible for the development of the city.
– For a long time you were an adherent of the views of a certain political party. What about now? Do you have political ambitions?
– I have no political ambitions and I don’t see myself in politics. Politics is always tied to a certain territory, but business has no boundaries.
– You began to engage in organic farming and growing eco-products long before it became mainstream. Currently, your enterprises are engaged in the production of environmentally friendly food products. Where can you buy this in Kovrov (or beyond)? Why was the Green Supermarket abandoned? Does the production of "Veriohumus" work?
– For many years, NPO Green-PIK positioned itself on the market as an innovative company, offering “green” technologies based on its own developments. We have managed to achieve a lot here. Suffice it to say that we were the first from Russia to be invited to participate in the international Green Bridge program, which operates under the auspices of the UN.
Our merit is that since 1998, when Doctor of Medical Sciences joined our team. Professor Igonin A.M., we have created a vermicompost market in Russia and the CIS countries from almost scratch. We taught this production to more than 1,300 entrepreneurs from 19 countries. In the Suzdal region, we are implementing a project for the largest production of vermicompost in the CIS with a capacity of up to 50,000 tons per year. Moreover, at least half of the vermicompost is intended for export.
Photo from the personal archive of S.S. horsemeat The Green Supermarket project ended after a change of ownership of the land plot, as the rent increased tenfold. Now this area is overgrown with weeds. We are still convinced that every city should have such a “Green Supermarket”, where you can come with your whole family and pick the freshest and most natural vegetables, herbs, and berries directly from the garden. Although now we offer more modern business formats in agriculture, combining the cultivation of eco-products and the development of “green” rural tourism.
– A farmer’s market based on Pervomaisky: the idea you voiced in LiveJournal was lively discussed by our readers. When will construction start? Are there many people interested? Are there similar ones in Russia?
– Reading the comments, I noticed that there were more negative ones than positive ones. It's amazing how active pessimistic people are. Most likely, their strength is completely wasted on bile, and for creation they need other energy. Most are not in the mood to plow as we do.
Farmers' market project published in LiveJournal by Sergei Konin. Now the documents are being reviewed by the Kovrov Administration, we hope for a positive decision so that work on completing construction can begin without delay. There are many people who want to participate, but we are not concluding agreements yet, because permitting documentation must be attached to the agreements.
The Farmers' Market project is very interesting, because the supply of products to the market will come directly from the field and farm, i.e. in its freshest form. This is a unique project for Russia. Especially for this purpose, 32 eco-farms will operate in the Kovrovsky district alone. But there are already potential suppliers from other regions, including from the Ryazan, Tambov and Ivanovo regions.
Today farmers cannot get into the network, but here it will be convenient for them to work, becoming suppliers to their market. By the way, every farmer is also given the opportunity to become a co-owner of the market. Farmers will not need to stand behind the counter, because... this market is designed on a self-service basis.
Photo from the personal archive of S.S. horsemeat – “Kovrovskaya Gazeta”, “Our Small Motherland”: these publications, not without your participation, have been working in Kovrov for many years. Are you going to return to publishing?
– To promote our technologies and products, we mainly use Internet resources. Although sometimes for agricultural exhibitions we do a special issue in newspaper format to convey information to those who are not yet familiar with the Internet.
– About a year ago there was information about the sale of the Zarya Hotel in Vladimir, for a long time We talked about finding a buyer for the “200 Years Shopping Center” in Kovrov. Have the objects received new owners? What was the need to get rid of these objects?
– We see the future of our company in the development of “green” technologies; all non-core assets will be sold. How this will happen - through a direct sale or through bankruptcy proceedings - depends on the situation. The sale of non-core assets will make it possible to close loans to banks; the remaining funds will be invested in the development of more promising projects.
– In 2016, a number of your companies, including the Zarya Hotel, were declared bankrupt. At the end of 2016, Rosselkhozbank went to court with a claim to declare you bankrupt. How can you comment on the current situation?
– Let me start with the fact that all our new projects are not related to loans, so as not to risk business and not make it dependent on the mood of banks. As practice shows, there are no good or bad loans, it is always bondage. When a bank is bursting with money, it looks for solvent clients and offers money, but as soon as a client really needs financial help, banks are ready to destroy their client's business just to make a short-term profit.
Good banks try to support their customers, especially during times of crisis. Since 2008, we have been negotiating with Rosselkhozbank on the restructuring of accounts payable and reached an understanding.
However, after the change of leadership of the Russian Agricultural Bank in Vladimir in 2013, the bank unilaterally violated the agreements sealed by the protocol, and soon initiated bankruptcy proceedings for all our debtors, increasing interest rates, introducing fines and penalties.
Photo from the personal archive of S.S. Horsemeat. Unfortunately, the court sided with the bank, as a result of which bankruptcy procedures were introduced for eight companies. By the way, all loans were secured by collateral, the sale of which would cover the debt many times over.
Although I personally did not take out loans, I act as a guarantor for the loan obligations of all borrowers of the bank. I own enough assets to cover all the loans of the borrowing companies. However, the bank did not agree to such a plan in order to prevent the restoration of normal operation of our enterprises. That is why we had to go through bankruptcy proceedings, in which it is no longer the bank, but the court that will decide on debt restructuring. The meeting of creditors has already supported my financial recovery plan, now we are waiting for the court’s decision. I hope that the arbitration court will consider all the circumstances of the case and make a decision that will allow the bankruptcy procedure to be completed with financial recovery.
Kovrov entrepreneur Sergei Konin and the Suzdal ecopark
Today, in the world economy, tourism ranks second in terms of profitability, challenging the primacy of the oil sector and long ago surpassing profits from the arms trade. In the context of widespread deterioration of the environmental situation, such a direction of this industry as ecotourism - tourism carried out in recreational areas and untouched corners of nature - has acquired particular relevance for people exhausted by urban life. Such corners are taken under special protection, human pressure on them is minimized in order to preserve biodiversity. Ecologically friendly agriculture is developed here, providing food for vacationers, folk crafts, historical sites - in a word, everything that gives the area its originality and may be of interest to tourists.
Russia, with its still vast territories and natural resources, its unique ethnographic diversity and many historical monuments, has enormous potential for the development of ecotourism, which can not only give our country a considerable influx of funds, but also contribute to the development of agriculture, conservation and restoration of nature and historical and cultural heritage.
The first large-scale project of this kind, combining all the best developments in the industry, is being implemented in the Vladimir region by entrepreneur Sergei Konin. Sergei Stepanovich was born in the village of Timiryazevo, Tomsk region on August 22, 1957. Having served 15 years in the army, first in Transbaikalia, and then in the city of Kovrov, Vladimir region, in 1989 he retired from the Armed Forces with the rank of lieutenant colonel and, taking a loan, together with two colleagues established the Interregional Research and Production Cooperative "PIK", which Over time, he united 14 cooperatives in the production of furniture, construction, production of plastic products, clothing production, etc.
After the 1998 default, Konin turned his attention to the agricultural sector. “For the rapid development of the company, it was necessary to choose one key direction,” he recalled in an interview. “It seemed that we could use our potential in the food sector.” It was difficult to compete with large meat or milk producers, and the search for his niche pushed Sergei Stepanovich to solve the issue of soil fertility. Having visited a number of thematic exhibitions, he discovered an emerging trend towards the greening of agriculture and the weakening of the position of agrochemicals. In accordance with the conclusions made, PIK MNPK adopted a new strategy: to achieve competitive advantages in the field of applied ecology, to develop technologies and innovations related exclusively to the production of eco-products. All that remained was to find the technology for their production.
“At the end of 1998, we came to the conclusion that we needed to create a company that would always be in demand, and the business would be to our liking,” said Konin. - At that time we visited all the exhibitions, and at one of them, it seems, “Golden Autumn,” we saw vermicompost. I remembered that I read the book “Scientific and Technological Progress in Japanese Agriculture” about the effect earthworms produce, and that their use is an opportunity to switch to ecological farming. We began to seriously study this idea and suddenly discovered with surprise that the founder of Russian technology lives next to us, in Vladimir. It was Anatoly Mikhailovich Igonin, doctor of medical sciences, professor, already retired at that time.”
Having bought the patent for the invention from Igonin, Konin set about bringing his ideas to life. The professor himself became the corporation's leading scientific consultant. In addition to his salary, he, like other scientists at PIK, receives an author's commission in the amount of 2% of income. In total, 17 scientists and several young graduate students are involved in the production.
Sergei Stepanovich organized an experimental laboratory, and then pilot production using technology called “Green-PIK”. Already known technologies for breeding earthworms were taken as a basis. The American assembly line version was immediately abandoned due to its high cost. At first, worms were bred on special racks and in wooden boxes, but when the number of “prospectors” grew to 5 million individuals, it became clear that this was a dead end. Under such conditions, the population could not develop normally. For two years, scientists observed the behavior of worms and finally found that their behavior is hard-coded and, accordingly, they are easy to control. Then the “active bed” method was adopted, in which the worms are fed on one side of the bed (working area), and the finished product is collected on the other.
The new technology was not slow to produce results. “I will say this based on objective data from an independent laboratory. We received the latest research from the science city of Pushchino. They give the following figures: our germination of grain and seeds is 1.7 times higher than the best soil mixtures on the market, and the production of biomass is 4 times higher. That is, we take external research, we get such an interesting result. We supply to the European Union, but you know, this is a complex bureaucratic system, so we conduct sales through Estonia. We also supply products to Finland via Estonia. And just imagine, there is an agricultural institute in Tartu. Experiments were carried out there. They have at least a 30% plus difference for different products. Those. when they say that without mineral fertilizers, pesticides and herbicides we will not feed the population - this, of course, is also not true,” said Sergei Konin in an interview with People’s Radio. In addition, it turned out that the use of vermicompost, thanks to the substances it contains - chitinases, which repel insects, relieves the potato crop from the threat of the Colorado potato beetle.
In 2002 and 2004, NPO "Green-PIK" held two International scientific and production conferences "Earthworms and Soil Fertility", in which all the world's leading experts from 19 countries, more than 400 people, took part.
To disseminate the Green-PIK technology in the field of ecological farming, the A.M. Igonin School was created, in which more than a thousand specialists from Russia and many other countries have already been trained.
“By studying all human experience, finding out all the nuances of building a modern business, and knowing that there are certain goals for humanity that are defined by the UN: sustainable environmentally sound development of territories and the fight against poverty, we have found the main guidelines for ourselves,” says Sergei Konin. - That is, business must be socialized, otherwise it has no future. It must be effective; for this, the path of innovation has been chosen. It must be an economically sound business, and it is better to directly engage in environmental projects.”
Sergey Stepanovich is the author of several environmental projects: “Green-PIK-300 - Ecological farming”, “Ecotourism: a million eco-houses in Green-PIK Ecoparks”, “Earthworms - the basis for agricultural reform”, “Eco-industrial parks - green growth points of the new economy ", "Ecorosia - social ecological network", has author's inventions, patents of the Russian Federation.
NPO Green-PIK has been awarded more than 100 medals, cups and diplomas at various international and Russian exhibitions for achievements in the field of environmental technologies. Two NPO enterprises were included in the 100 best enterprises in Russia: in 2002, PIK-Agro - for economic growth rates, and in 2004, OJSC Green-PIK - for outstanding achievements in the field of ecology and quality.
“We have created a partnership whose goal is to unite the efforts of all manufacturers of pure products,” says Sergey Konin. - At the same time, we do not consider only food products. This topic comes from ecological farming, we come from the earth. Because we have been working on this issue for twelve years, and only through hard work have we reached a leading position in this topic. Ecological farming, production of pure products of exceptional quality - this is our work, the task for the future for the country. Only such products are in demand on the market today. What happens next?! After all, the problem is: there is an eco-house. We need to implement this project today. And the design institute, which is part of our organization, is currently designing eco-houses, including for eco-tourism and green rural tourism. Those. We cover the entire chain related to clean products, including so-called eco-parks.”
Today, the main project of the NPO "Green-PIK" is the eco-park "Suzdal", created on the basis of the standards of the world's leading organizations - UNWTO, TIES and UNESCO. During 2012-2018, investors plan to build several hotels, eco-villages and eco-bases, phyto- and auto-towns, eco-farms and bee apiaries, bioproduct production, an arboretum, an aeronautical station, a golf club, an equestrian and yacht club, a sport fishing club, develop embankments and reservoirs. The expected volume of investment will be about 60 billion rubles from private investors.
On the territory of the eco-park, it is planned to build Russia’s first guest “smart” eco-houses, environmentally friendly and energy efficient. The owner and his family will live in one part of the house, the other is intended to be rented out to guests. “The fact is that tourism is, of course, based on the house,” explains Konin. - Guest house. There are two million guest houses in Europe. In Russia today there are no such statistics, but I can say with complete confidence that we do not have a single house built according to eco-house standards. Each house that will be built according to this principle is an event in tourism. If we talk about how to link agriculture and “green” tourism, it is important to say that today people who come to such towns do not just relax - they get acquainted with agricultural work, with a way of life. But the fact is that we don’t have guest houses, and people are focused on coming and getting three basic standards: one hundred percent comfort, privacy and safety. Agricultural towns and eco-bases should ensure these standards.”
According to the terms of participation in the project, house owners will have to engage in agriculture on the territory of their estates. This, according to Sergei Stepanovich, is a significant factor in the revival of our agricultural sector: “If we talk about the direction of agricultural development, where are we going wrong? We can produce as much as we want. After all, agricultural producers and farmers cry all the time because they have produced products, but cannot supply them online. Now imagine: if he knows that 20-30 people pass through his houses a day, he will keep 20 pigs, 50 chickens, 10 cows so that there is always fresh food.” The entrepreneur is confident that Russia has colossal human resources to organize such projects: “The fact is that the urbanization that has occurred throughout the world has led to the fact that in general 80% of humanity lives in cities. In Russia, another 22% live in villages. Those. there is human resource. This is a colossal direction for the development of small and medium-sized businesses, which everyone is talking about today.”
Sergei Stepanovich gave a report on “smart” eco-houses at the BRICS summit, the participants of which were so interested in the topic that they included it on the agenda for the further work of this organization. “A house where you can enjoy all the benefits of civilization without unnecessary expenses, called “smart,” will allow a person to return to a reasonable relationship with nature, which has now been largely lost,” Konin is convinced. - Residents of such houses will eat environmentally friendly products grown in the local area without chemicals, using vermicompost produced by earthworms.
For the owners of such houses, it will be both home and work at the same time. After all, a tourist who comes for pleasure and is ready to pay for it may want to work in the garden himself or, for example, choose vegetables and fruits in the garden with his own hands (...).
In addition to the “smart” eco-houses, 1 million “smart” trees will be planted here, playing their role in the ecological process. In addition, additional eco-belts will be created: each hectare of land will be enclosed in a square of such eco-belts of mixed forest. Forests will become “hotels” for small animals and birds.
The transport that will move around the territory of the eco-park will run on electric, hydrogen and pneumatic engines, eliminating any damage to nature.
In the center of the eco-park, a “City of Masters” will be created - a place where tourists will be provided with other entertainment in addition to what they receive in the guest house. Here they will be able to plunge into the world of folk crafts - watch the work of representatives of this or that craft, immediately purchase a craft made before their eyes, and, if desired, try their hand at being a woodcarver, potter, etc.”
Having considered all options for promoting the project, the Board of Directors of JSC Ecopark Suzdal decided to combine the business formats of green rural tourism and organic farming Green-PIK into farming mini-clusters (thematic eco-farms).
According to the plan, the size of the mini-clusters will be 16-25 hectares depending on the landscape of the area and will look like this:
Each mini-cluster is surrounded by forest protection plantings along the border of the site from the most different types trees and shrubs, has a natural pond with an area of at least 10% of the site, individual landscape design, a unique name and an entrance group. Public recreation areas for local residents and tourists are being developed around the reservoirs.
Each mini-cluster is formed as a stable productive ecosystem in which the flow of solar energy is used as efficiently as possible. More than half of the territories of mini-clusters are intended to maintain the biodiversity of flora and fauna.
The main activities of mini-clusters are growing organic food, folk crafts and “green” rural tourism. Each mini-cluster is managed by a resident of the Ecopark: a peasant farm (peasant farm), an agricultural cooperative or an agricultural firm.
Ecopark "Suzdal" offers 4 business formats of mini-clusters:
1. Eco-farm-park-hotel (16-25 hectares with accommodation for up to 50 tourist eco-houses).
2. Estate-type eco-farm (10 plots of 1-2 hectares each with 5 tourist eco-houses).
3. Eco-farm of Solar bio-vegetarians (20 plots of 0.5 hectares with eco-farmer guest houses for 6 rooms).
4. Eco-farm “Russian Village” (40 plots of guest tourist eco-houses of 0.25 hectares each with accommodation of 1 guest house for 4 rooms).
The main business format is “Ecofarm-park-hotel”. The eco-farm provides tourists with a full range of “green” rural tourism services all year round: from gastronomic tours to fishing and a Russian bathhouse.
The main advantage of the new format is that tourists receive a large number of services directly on the territory of the eco-farm, and the recreation areas are as close as possible to vacationers. It is expected that more than a thousand species of plants, animals and birds will “receive registration” on the territory of each eco-farm.
At the same time, eco-farms will have a certain specialization related to the preservation of rare and endangered representatives of flora and fauna, as well as agricultural breeds (for example, the Vladimir heavy truck, Krasnogorbatovskaya cow, Vladimir goose, etc. are of great interest)
The tourist houses themselves are located in such a way that the panoramic window from the fireplace room opens up the most beautiful views of the terraced park and natural pond. Each house has a green fence providing privacy, parking for a personal car and a barbecue. It would not be amiss to say that in the houses, in addition to two bedrooms and a fireplace room, all amenities, a shower and even a mini-sauna are provided.
The construction of guest houses and eco-houses, as already indicated, is carried out using “green” technologies. Solar collectors, solar panels, wind generators and other alternative energy sources, including biofuel, are widely used. To move around the territory of mini-clusters, bicycles and electric vehicles are mainly used. Thus, in mini-clusters, ecological balance is ensured and comfortable conditions are created for work and leisure in harmony with Nature.
Environmental technologies are the highlight of the project. “According to the talented engineer and author of the book “Smart House” S. Bogdanov, due to special technologies, the possibilities of “smart houses” are colossal.
For example, a light control system (or an intelligent lighting system), says Sergei Vitalievich. - Voltage regulators included in the “Smart Home” allow you to save not only on electricity, but also on the light bulbs themselves. Smooth switching on of the lamps will extend their service life by almost half. Special sensors allow you to turn on or off the lights in the house depending on whether a person is in the room or not. The light can turn on/off automatically, depending on the selected mode.
An innovative climate control system will also help save energy. And the room will always be supplied with fresh air, purified and at the required temperature and humidity. A special water supply system in a “smart home” will allow people to control the process of supplying and filtering water, making it safe for consumption.
Thus, Ecopark “Suzdal” gives the opportunity not only to spend time away from the costs of urbanization - gas pollution, noise, bustle and other “gifts” of civilization, but also to live and work in comfortable conditions.”
The production of agricultural products by eco-farmers is carried out using Green-PIK technologies on the principles of permaculture and biodynamic farming based on operational maps. For year-round cultivation of green vitamins, Solar Bio-Vegetaria are being built in all mini-clusters.
Work on the construction of the first bio-vegetarium went on all last winter. It allows you to provide 500 people with green vitamins every day, 365 days a year. At the same time, the consumption of thermal and electrical energy is reduced by an order of magnitude. In addition, the organizers plan to reach a level of automation that will reduce labor costs by 80%. All this will lead to a reduction in the cost of organic products with full control of all crop factors. Thus, the eco-farmer will receive a sustainable competitive advantage in the fruit and vegetable market.
The Vladimir land is rich in historical monuments. In total, 3,726 objects are registered. Unfortunately, most of them are in poor condition. This problem also came to the attention of Sergei Konin. In the summer of 2013, the entrepreneur became concerned with the fate of the abandoned Khrapovitsky estate - a real medieval palace, the splendor of which was about to be left only in ruins. Legend has it that Vladimir Semenovich Khrapovitsky built his equestrian yard in the image and likeness of the yard of one of the French nobles, who somehow hurt the colonel’s pride. Then he bet with his French friends that he would build a castle no worse than the one in the Loire. A couple of years later, the count brought them to his estate and showed them an exact copy of the castle. After listening to the compliments, he said: “Gentlemen, my horses live here. And the palace is further away, in the park.” When the count led the French to his luxurious palace, they came into a state of complete amazement.
The estate park consisted of three parts: Italian, with water cascades on terraces and water parterres; French - from fountains, greenhouses and playgrounds and English, from alleys, meadows and ponds.
Count Khrapovitsky was a unique entrepreneur and philanthropist. He not only kept his estate in perfect condition, created a powerful timber processing company, but also built schools, temples, and houses for the poor. And yet, Count Khrapovitsky had to die in poverty and in exile ten years after the revolution.
According to Sergei Stepanovich, in order to save the unique estate, “the right decision would be to create a tourist center on the basis of the estate, the income from which would be used for its restoration. I think it would be correct to set the rent at 1 ruble per year for the person who does this. The estate is now in the treasury, i.e. belongs to the state. Therefore, it is necessary to convince officials of the correctness of this decision. Although maybe someone will offer a stronger solution. One thing is clear: since 1977, no one has been responsible for the historical and architectural monument, and every day of mismanagement makes us spiritually poorer.”
At the initiative of the entrepreneur, a cleanup day was held on the territory of the estate, which brought together 138 volunteers who supported the history of Russia and wanted to contribute to the revival of the monument. “The enthusiasm and work ethic infected everyone with energy,” testifies Sergei Stepanovich. - As soon as the teams were distributed around the perimeter of the castle, the magic of transformation began. Literally before our eyes, a majestic structure grew up from a garbage dump and thickets of trees, bushes and weeds, stunning everyone’s imagination. This is why we have gathered here.
But first there was a small rally, at which, in addition to me, the general director of the Vladimir-Suzdal Museum-Reserve Svetlana Melnikova, the chairman of the Public Chamber of the Vladimir Region Natalya Yudina and the head of the Sudogodsky district Alexander Starodubtsev were on fire. Here they also accepted an appeal to the acting governor of the Vladimir region, Orlova S.Yu.
Rise at 5 am, departure at 6. Already at 7:20 they began to deploy the working bodies of the subbotnik with their functions. Subbotnik headquarters: registration of participants and the time of their arrival, distribution of tasks, equipment with tools, photo and video shooting, maintaining an operational chronicle of the cleanup worker. Technical point: power station, issuing rakes, shovels, forks, bags and work gloves, refueling chainsaws and trimmers, their maintenance, etc. Buffet bar: providing volunteers with water, tea and coffee; "Buffet". Plumbing block: washbasins and, sorry, toilets. A banner “We will revive the estate of V.S. Khrapovitsky with the whole world” was hung on the castle building.
The castle was cleaned not only outside, but also inside. More than 400 cubic meters of household waste and weeds were removed. Now the castle needs restoration work. But that’s another story, because the estate of Count V.S. Khrapovitsky does not yet have an owner."
Through the efforts of Konin’s comrades, the Public Chamber of the Vladimir Region took special control over the fate of the estate. According to the entrepreneur, Russia needs a regional law on commercial concessions that would allow a private investor to take responsibility for a historical site under open tender conditions. “For 36 years now, Count Khrapovitsky’s estate has been ownerless and this cannot continue forever,” he pointed out in an interview with Komsomolskaya Pravda given after the cleanup. - Now the complex has been taken under control not only by the Public Chamber of the Vladimir Region, of which I am a member, but also by the acting governor Svetlana Yuryevna Orlova. We also called on the public to monitor developments and not let anyone relax. I am sure that the online community can also do a lot. The main thing is that there should be a responsible person with the necessary authority to solve this problem. As for my opinion, I remain confident that ultimately there is only one force capable of saving the cultural and historical heritage of Russia. These are tourists. It’s not for nothing that the head of Rostourism, A.V. Radkov, said that Russia is primarily interesting for organizing cultural, historical and educational tourism.”
To date, Green-PIK has already received more than 900 applications for participation in the Suzdal ecopark project. The first farmers are already working on its territory. It is expected that over time their number will reach 500 people. The organizers aim to make recreation in the eco-park accessible not only to foreigners, but also to Russian tourists. Planned cost of living here: 1000 rub. per adult and 500 rub. - for a child.
“There is always a way out,” Sergei Konin is sure. - Everyone makes decisions for themselves: what food to consume, what lifestyle to lead, where to relax and how to raise their children. Because a child raised on holiday in Turkey will probably go to live abroad. In the end, the whole country will flee. We need to make sure that they come to us. And for this - to reveal your uniqueness. We have more than a hundred nations and nationalities on Russian territory, and I think we have something to tell and show.”
Material prepared by E.V. Semyonova