Can raspberry cultivation be considered as a profitable business? How to calculate the payback for this business, how to assess their capabilities and prospects? Is it worth it to do this type of earnings? Some consider it doubtful, others call it hopeless. There is another opinion: raspberry growing is profitable, reasonable, provides excellent opportunities and is a successful format of entrepreneurship. Let's consider in more detail.
From the very beginning
First you need to understand the features of working with this plant, and then consider raspberry cultivation as a business. The profitability of this business is largely determined by the right approach, a good choice of variety, taking into account the climatic features of the zone.
Before dealing with the technical aspects, we will consider the general statistical information collected from entrepreneurs engaged in this field. They will help you analyze how wise to spend your time and energy working with raspberries. So what is the profitability? Raspberry growing as a business is a rather labor-intensive area. It begins with considerable investments, requires hiring workers. If a person wants to make a big profit already in the first season, he does not have to count on much. The average level of earnings as the farm develops is 35-40%.
About numbers in more detail
Is it possible to bite off a piece of cake with high profitability? Raspberry growing as a business begins with planting on a farm. You can count on the return on investment on average in a three-year period. This time is enough to master the rules of cultivation, especially the care of the plant. For three years, the entrepreneur receives a stable customer base, opens his point of sale and receives reliable distributor contacts.
Imagine that a potential entrepreneur has 20 hectares of land at his disposal. On this site, you can plant 2.4 thousand bushes, if there are three hundred plants in one row, the length of each row will be 0.2 km. In total, eight such rows will be made. The row spacing is 50 cm by 2.5 m. Some are frightened by the lack of profitability. Raspberry growing as a business in Russia is currently not as popular as in some other countries. But do not be too afraid, because the average yield of one plant is estimated at 2.5 kg, that is, six tons of berries can be removed from the site. On average, wholesale buyers pay 200 rubles per kilogram of product, and can be sold at retail for 300 rubles / kg. Accordingly, the average profit is estimated at 1.2-1.8 million. Is it worth it to make efforts counting on such profitability? The cultivation of raspberries as a business in Russia is still relatively rare, but many are convinced that the reason for this is the low awareness of the population about the prospects of such entrepreneurship. So, consider its technical aspects.
About varieties
Unaware of the varieties of the plant, one does not have to rely on the good profitability of growing raspberries as a business. Raspberry business needs a plan especially, and it needs to include all the important conditions for a businessman’s activity. This is especially true if a person who has spent most of his life in the city wants to work in this area. You need to know that raspberries come in several varieties. The most juicy, fragrant, delicious is summer. It reaches a peak in just two years, but it easily gets sick, quickly freezes and often becomes a haven for pests.
When compiling a business plan, you need to decide in favor of a particular variety or several. Among the summers, the most attractive ones are Octavia and Lyashka. Most often planted a "frog". She quickly sings, and shrubs are literally covered with berries in season. This is a relatively resistant variety that can survive frosts down to -30 degrees. Berries are quite easy to transport; they are quite hard and juicy. Dimensions of one fruit - up to 4 cm. Weight can reach a gram. The yield of bushes is large, about two hundred tons can be removed from a hectare. True, the plant's buds can freeze in the cold season. In addition, you need to constantly process the bush from pests, fungi.
Octavia
Studying how to open a raspberry growing business from scratch, you should take a closer look at this variety - some beginners consider it to be the best start. This is a promising variety of berries. There are quite a few fruits of just such a bush on the market. It is noted for its good survival in a relatively warm climate, but the plant will not survive frosts stronger than -30. Shrubs are fairly easy to transport. "Octavia" is highly resistant to viruses, fungal infections.
The berries of this shrub are beautiful, smooth, tasty. The weight of one piece reaches 8 g. Wind and rain do not lead to shedding of the crop. True, propagating shrubs is quite difficult. This problem is considered the main disadvantage of the bush.
Repair raspberries
Very often they consider the possibility of planting this particular variety, since it produces fruits twice a year. The first crop is harvested in the summer season, the second - in the fall. Such raspberries perfectly tolerate cold and harsh climatic conditions. She is not afraid of pests. The plant rarely gets sick. There is no need to treat the bush with special preparations, which means that the resulting crop will be extremely clean and safe - and such berries are traditionally more expensive.
There were some shortcomings that are included in the business plan. In particular, the bush is not easy to propagate. It is difficult to cuttings. The plant is demanding on top dressing, needs regular introduction of additional nutrients. As a result, the level of expenses for plantation maintenance is above average, but the taste and aroma of berries are not as pleasant as in the species described above. Among the varieties, "regiment", "zyugan" and "joan ji" are especially in demand.
Is it worth the effort?
Is it worth it to delve into especially the preparation and evaluation of business plans, the profitability of growing raspberries as a business? Many of our compatriots believe that this is justified only to a small degree, but in the European powers, entrepreneurs hold a different opinion. Raspberry as an enterprise provides a huge number of benefits. Just the fact that the region is still underdeveloped in our country gives newcomers excellent chances. The niche is not yet filled, the demand is great, so it will be possible to find a buyer without difficulty. The demand for a fresh crop of any berries is high. Accordingly, raspberries are doubly profitable.
As people experienced in this matter say, it’s quite easy and simple to start a business. Landing is not particularly difficult. You need to have a plot, a machine for its preparation, seedlings. Landing itself can be done even with your own hands. You can attract labor, which will cost quite cheaply. Harvest from the received site can be removed in the summer, and in some cases also in the fall. Caring for a plantation is quite simple. If it is not possible to realize the entire crop before losing its presentation, the residues can be processed - frozen, canned. Such a product is also in demand by customers.
What to stop at?
In order to learn from your experience about the maximum profitability of a raspberry growing business, you need to responsibly select the appropriate variety. First you need to plant several varieties at once. By the time of harvesting, the entrepreneur compares how much he takes from each zone of his plantation. At the end of winter, they estimate how high the percentage of survival for sites. Based on this, they determine which plants to continue working with. It is impossible to provide universal information on profitability that would describe all cases - the influence of climate is too strong.
Above are the average payback and profitability within 40%. You can count on such by choosing the right option for vegetation. Most often, repairing varieties are planted.
About the nuances
Knowing nothing about the technical aspects of working with shrubs, one does not have to rely on the good profitability of growing raspberries as a business. The technology of work depends on the selected variety, but there are general recommendations. So, you need to choose the most light area. The more sun falls on the bush, the better the berries will sing. The second important aspect is the provision of water. The shrub should receive a lot of fluid. If it rains lightly, you need to irrigate the plantation regularly.
Watering is not the only procedure raspberries need. From time to time, the bush needs to be fed. Use organic fertilizers. Most often, a potassium-phosphorus mixture is chosen.
Raspberries need to be pruned regularly. It is advisable to hold the event in March, November. When pruning, leave no more than five of the strongest shoots, removing all others.
Technical aspects
Understanding how to open a raspberry growing business, you should take a closer look at the starting conditions. Having a plot and seedlings available, you can start planting them, but do not forget that soon you need to take care of the crop. It is necessary to mulch the earth regularly. But the soil should be light. If the land does not meet the requirements, raspberries grow poorly. It is recommended to evaluate what the land is before landing. The best is light sand. There is too heavy clay soil, you need to make the necessary sand here or choose another zone. The best acidity level for raspberries is 5.8-6.2 units.
Technics and workers
Today you can find very few dedicated to technology, profitability, raspberry cultivation reviews. As a business, the cultivation of this shrub is considered by few, even fewer who started this business in reality. Mostly in their responses, entrepreneurs point to the comparative simplicity of the work, the presence of rare difficulties that sometimes force you to work hard, and also talk about good profits. From these responses, it is clear that those who implement effective ways of harvesting get good returns. You will need a cultivator to quickly cultivate the land, a harvester for picking berries, a refrigerator and a drying chamber. In total, this technique will cost 200 thousand rubles (or slightly less).
In order for the profitability of the raspberry growing business in greenhouses and open spaces to be large, enough working hands must be provided. The larger the territory, the more people will have to be hired. One or two hectares will require one agronomist, one combine driver, and up to three handymen. Since you need constant care of plants, it is very important to make a schedule responsibly. The average monthly salary of an agronomist is 35 thousand rubles, five thousand less can be paid to the driver, and laborers get about 25 thousand rubles. When compiling a business plan, it is imperative to enter these numbers into it.
Collection, storage and important points
In order not to lose the crop, you need to collect it correctly - in many respects the profitability of the whole business depends on meeting deadlines. Berries are harvested when dry. It is necessary to carefully remove each fruit from the receptacle. The berries are stacked in an impeccably dry container. Water quickly makes them unusable, so you can’t wash raspberries - only before a meal.
Raspberries are stored in the upper part of the refrigerator, away from the freezer, away from any other food. To preserve maximum vitamins, you can dry the berries. The demand for dried raspberries is quite high. If it was not possible to realize part of the harvest, jam is made from it or berries are frozen.
Rules and temperature
To keep the berries as long as possible, you need to pick them ripe, but not overripe. Only healthy berries are taken, and immediately after collection they are cooled. It is advisable to use a modified packaging - so the storage time will increase. Frozen berries are stored in packages of paper, thin plastic. Quick freezing allows the fruit to remain fresh throughout the year. To do this, the newly harvested crop is placed in a chamber where the temperature does not exceed 20 degrees of frost, can reach -35 degrees. After freezing, the berries are moved to a warmer part of the freezer.