A businessman from Tatarstan has developed and implemented innovative solutions for growing and harvesting berries in his farm, including a fully autonomous agricultural drone. This project aims to increase efficiency, reduce dependence on imports, and develop domestic agricultural machinery production.

History of Development and Range of Crops

The history began in 2015 with the establishment of berry plantations covering a total area of 10 hectares. Initially, 1 hectare was planted with raspberries, and 9 hectares with currants. Today, the area under raspberries exceeds 10 hectares, and the currant plantings have also been expanded. The transition to the berry business was driven by a desire to work in nature and create something useful and tangible.

Raspberries

The farm cultivates the "Poliana" remontant raspberry variety of Polish selection. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that in autumn, after the first frosts, the bush is mowed down almost to the ground and grows anew each season. This variety fruits later than summer varieties but is distinguished by its very high yield. Up to 350 grams of berries are harvested from a single stem. The yield per hectare is around 4-5 tons of raspberries.

Raspberries are grown using drip irrigation due to their shallow root system. Remontant varieties allow for compensation of yield losses that may occur due to unfavorable weather conditions, such as heavy rains that affected the yield of summer varieties this year.

Currants

Three varieties of Scottish selection are used for growing currants: Benhope, Dantin, and Till, brought from Poland. Currant berries are rich in vitamin C, possess good transportability qualities, and reach the markets of Moscow and processing plants perfectly. The size of the berries is not critical, as small berries, despite potential transportation issues, are better suited for processing. In real conditions, the yield of currants is about 4.5 tons per hectare.

Harvesting and Processing Technologies

Harvesting is one of the key stages requiring a high degree of mechanization. The farmer notes that with improper care of the bushes and untimely pruning, part of the harvest remains on the branches, leading to losses.

Berry Harvesters

To address the harvesting problem, proprietary equipment has been developed. The berry harvester is a trailed, half-row machine, allowing berries to be harvested from half a row in a single pass. Currently, design documentation is being developed to create a full-row self-propelled harvester. Domestic harvesters are made from 90% Russian materials. The goal is to enable the management of a garden area of up to 20 hectares with the labor of 3-4 people.

A comparison of manual and machine harvesting shows a significant difference in productivity: 50 people harvested 950 kg of currants in 8 hours, while a harvester with three operators harvested 5 tons in the same amount of time.

Berry Processing

To extend shelf life and generate additional profit, berries are frozen and processed out of season. Currants are cleaned by a special separator, then cooked in kettles to produce smoothies or preserves. The products are packaged in jars or bottles.

Pasteurization equipment is used, allowing for a product shelf life of up to 12 months without the addition of preservatives. Sugar is added to preserves, but not to smoothies, as the berries contain natural sugars.

Innovative Technology: Autonomous Drone

The key achievement is the development of Russia's first fully autonomous agricultural drone. In its current version, it is designed for transporting payloads. The drone independently follows a tractor, unloads harvested berries, and delivers them to a warehouse. The operator manages the process using a mobile application.

Functionality and Navigation

The drone is equipped with mounted cultivating equipment for treating the area around tree trunks. It moves according to predefined algorithms and routes determined by artificial intelligence, analyzing the condition of rows and identifying obstacles. An important feature is the drone's operation without GPS and RTK, which solves the problem of signal interference and jamming. Ultra-wideband (UWB) technology with beacons is used, allowing for the creation of a closed navigation loop. The system also supports the "Follow me" function (object tracking).

In addition to harvesting, the drone can be used for road maintenance, grass mowing, and plot care.

Economic Aspects and Development

Initial investments in the farm amounted to approximately 10 million rubles, partly from own funds and partly from borrowed funds. The state provided support in the form of a grant from "Tatmelioretsiya" amounting to 3 million rubles for the creation of land reclamation systems.

"Kurant" Cooperative

Four years ago, the "Kurant" cooperative was established, uniting about twenty farms and personal subsidiary plots. The cooperative provides members with seedlings and equipment, and also guarantees the repurchase of grown berries. The processing line capacity is up to 500 kg of raw materials per hour, or 1.5 tons in an 8-hour working day.

Pricing and Market

The price for blackcurrants is 310-350 rubles per kilogram, and for raspberries – 450-500 rubles. The total gross harvest of berries last year was about 40 tons, of which 10 tons were processed in-house.

Competition in the market is high, but the demand for domestic fruit and berry products remains significant, necessitating further expansion of plantings. The cost of a domestic self-propelled combine harvester is 10-11 million rubles, while a similar imported non-self-propelled combine harvester costs about 13 million rubles. The state subsidizes the purchase of domestic equipment.

Prospects

The plan is to plant another approximately 50 hectares of orchards in the coming years. The development of in-house machinery production is a key factor in ensuring the growth and competitiveness of the berry farm. The goal is to live a happy life, benefiting society.