Costs per 1 ha of sunflower. Business idea: sunflower cultivation. The most important thing is the right climate




This process is quite complicated, time-consuming and responsible, because it is necessary to collect seeds in such a way that labor and financial costs are minimal, and at the same time favorable conditions are created for growing the following crops after sunflower.

Terms and duration of sunflower harvesting

In the industrial cultivation of sunflower in order to obtain a high yield of seeds, attention should be paid not only to the observance of agricultural technology, sunflower harvesting is also of great importance.

Of course, losses during harvesting of sunflowers cannot be avoided - losses alone behind combines reach 3 c/ha. This includes direct quantitative losses and indirect losses that were caused by deterioration in seed quality as a result of mechanical damage.

The most significant are direct losses: in the form of baskets of cut or not cut and free seeds remaining behind the header, as well as seeds lost behind the thresher. In addition, direct losses include a decrease in crop volumes due to self-threshing and self-shedding of heads due to prolonged or late harvesting periods. The longer the terms of sunflower harvesting are delayed, the more all types of direct losses increase, so it is so important to start harvesting on time.

Video about sunflower harvesting

The most effective is the harvesting of sunflowers, which is carried out during the period of full ripeness of plants, that is, when the leaves and baskets of the main part of the sunflower in the field dry out, acquiring a brown color. At this time, the accumulation of oil in the seeds just ends, the kernel becomes hard, and the seeds themselves acquire a color characteristic of the sunflower variety. It is advisable to start harvesting when no more than 15% of sunflowers with yellow heads remain on the field.

The longer the terms of sunflower harvesting are delayed, the more all types of direct losses increase.

However, the maturation of sunflower does not always go smoothly - in areas of humid forest-steppe, the ripening phase often occurs in unfavorable weather, as a result, the seeds do not have time to dry on the vine, and the humidity of the harvested seeds reaches 25%. In such cases, to accelerate the ripening of seeds, sunflower fields in dry weather are sprayed with desiccants, due to which:

  • plants finish the growing season faster and ripen at the same time;
  • harvesting starts a week earlier;
  • sunflower yield increases significantly;
  • the seeds are of better quality, their moisture content is not more than 9%;
  • oil yield from one hectare increases;
  • the productivity of combines increases, and energy costs are reduced.

Ideally, the moisture content of the collected seeds should be about 7%, then they can be stored for as long as possible. If you store seeds with high humidity, oxidation will occur, and the oil will become unsuitable for human consumption.

The optimal duration of harvesting is up to six days

It is extremely undesirable to delay the harvesting of sunflower, since by the fifth day the losses from shedding of seeds double or triple. The optimal duration of harvesting work is up to six days.

What sunflower yield can be expected?

Many different factors affect sunflower yields, from weather conditions to farming practices. In rare cases, it is possible to collect more than 30 centners per hectare, the average sunflower yield per 1 hectare is within 10 centners, and the maximum recorded figure is 45 centners per hectare.

Many different factors affect sunflower yields, from weather conditions to farming practices.

During the experiments of VNIIMK, it was revealed that the yield of sunflowers increases to 22.8% when it is placed in the fields after winter wheat, and when sunflower is grown after sugar beet, this figure drops to 14.2%. The greatest decrease in yield (up to 10.1 c/ha) was noted as a result of sowing sunflower in the rotation of a layer of perennial grasses, since they tend to dry out the deep layers of the soil.

Sunflower harvesting equipment

Sunflower harvesting is carried out with the help of combine harvesters equipped with choppers, which crush and scatter unwanted stalks across the field, and those stalks that remain on the vine are cut with disc harrows. A special device for sunflower harvesting is also used, which cuts the heads and threshes the seeds.

Video about black gold or sunflower harvesting

The stems remaining on the field can be cut not only with disc stubblers, but also with headers, with subsequent removal of plant waste from the field. A modern sunflower harvester can be used in all areas of sunflower cultivation, with any sowing method and in any weather conditions (even with snow or frost). Permissible moisture content of seeds is from 12% to 20%.

After harvesting, sunflower seeds are processed at grain cleaning units and stored for storage with a layer of up to one meter at a moisture content not higher than 7%.

Today we will talk about agriculture. What can you say about growing sunflowers? At least, this is not only an interesting, but also a profitable line of business. Of course, if you seriously decide to engage in this business, then you should take care of a large area. As a minimum, you need to calculate for 80-100 hectares. In this case, we can talk about a large income from each hectare. Let's try to calculate the estimated income. For each hectare grown, you have to spend about 1,000 rubles, and the profit will be 3,000-6,000 rubles. That is, the numbers speak for themselves - the direction is profitable.

How to organize a sunflower growing business?

1. The most important issue to be solved is to choose a suitable region for growing. Unfortunately, sunflowers can not be grown on every soil and not in every climate zone. The culture itself feels great in a warm arid climate. As for the soil, black soil is perfect for sunflowers. If you follow these two points, grow sunflower in an arid climate and use chernozem as soil, then in this case you can count on the maximum yield. The peculiarity of this culture can be attributed to the fact that it is demanding both on the organic and mineral composition of the soil. The fact is that in the process of growth, the plant sucks out useful minerals and substances from the soil. Therefore, experienced sunflower growers recommend changing planting sites after harvest. In the old place, this crop cannot be planted for 4-6 years. Of course, it all depends on the variety. If you plant sunflowers in the same field every year, then you should forget about a good harvest.

2. The issue with the place for growing sunflower has been resolved. What to do next? Now you have to decide which sunflower variety is ideal. Of course, it is best to use hybrid varieties, as they have many advantages. Let's try to list them. They have a minimal impact on the soil, that is, they deplete it less. They ripen quickly enough and perfectly resist various diseases. Another advantage of hybrid varieties is that all seeds will be the same size. This is important for those entrepreneurs who are going to produce roasted seeds.

3. We buy seeds. Based on the planned area of ​​​​land, you need to decide how many seeds you need. To buy one kilogram of quality seeds, you will need about 200 rubles. For each hectare will take about 1000 rubles. For example, if you want to sow an area of ​​80 hectares with seeds, then you have to invest 80 thousand rubles.

4. The process of growing sunflowers. Let's get to the most important question. First, let's prepare the ground. Work is best to start in the fall. Additionally, you will need equipment, as the land is plowed with a tractor. In principle, if you do not have the opportunity to buy equipment, then you can simply rent it. In early spring, it is necessary to re-cultivate the soil. Seeds are usually planted just in the spring. The most important thing is that the temperature returns to normal and is at least 10 degrees Celsius. I advise you to read specialized literature on how to grow this crop.

5. Harvest. The crop is harvested when the sunflower takes on a dried golden appearance. Harvester should be used for harvesting. They automatically perform several important functions: they cut the plants themselves, then they clean the grains.

6. Sales of the crop. You can do all sorts of things with sunflower seeds. Your customers can be various manufacturers of seeds, halva, oil and other products where seeds are supposed to be used.

Experts are waiting for a record sunflower harvest - up to 7 million tons, if we take into account the collection from lands that are not taken into account by official statistics. The yield may also break the record, which, according to the optimistic scenario, should be 12 centners per hectare. No wonder: farmers are switching to new technologies, sowing highly productive hybrid seeds, and sunflower has more than doubled in price over the past year.

Experts predict another record sunflower harvest this year. “Taking into account the areas that are not included in official statistics, up to 6 million tons can be collected,” she said. Agro-investor» Analyst of the Institute for Agricultural Market Studies ( IKAR) Alina Mirsagatova. “Now agricultural producers are actively switching to imported hybrids, so that the harvest, under favorable weather conditions, in August can reach 7 million tons.” In 2007, according to IKAR, 5.7 million tons were harvested. The same figures for last year's harvest are given in the Analytical Center under the government. Its analysts are also expecting a sunflower harvest of 6.5-7 million tons (see table).

Demand is growing

The record collection can be obtained, among other things, due to the intensification of crop production, which results in an increase in yields, says Mirsagatova. According to IKAR, in 2007 it amounted to 10.74 c/ha in Russia (data from the Analytical Center under the Government, which uses information Rosstat, — 11.3 kg/ha of harvested area). And in 2008, she compares, “according to optimistic forecasts,” 12 centners can be harvested per hectare. Another favorable factor for agricultural producers, which motivated them to increase crops and invest in new technologies, is the rapid rise in sunflower prices (by more than 100% over the past year). “Now it costs about 16 thousand rubles / ton, and in the free sale of this agricultural crop [oilseeds of the 2007 harvest - AI] in early July there was almost no more,” the analyst explains. “In September last year, sunflower seeds cost 12,000 rubles per ton, and in April 2008, they traded at 23,000 rubles per ton.”

Previously, the price level was different: for example, in the 2006/2007 agricultural year, sunflower rose in price from 5 to 7 thousand rubles per ton. Mirsagatova believes that one of the factors strengthening the price is the decrease in the 2007 harvest by 1 million tons compared to 2006. While oil extraction plants (OEPs) continued to increase capacity, the demand for seed increased while its supply decreased. In this agricultural year (2008/2009), prices will not be as high as in the past, Mirsagatov reassures processors, but, of course, they will not fall to the level of 2006/2007 agricultural year either.

But the demand for sunflower will continue to rise despite the growth of its crops, she adds, as the country continues to build new and reconstruct existing oil refineries: only one plant Bunge in the Voronezh region, introduced at the end of last year, is designed for more than 500 thousand tons / year of raw materials. The area sown with sunflower in 2008, according to Rosstat, 400 thousand hectares more than last year. And according to Mirsagatova, the growth of sunflower crops recovered after 2006 - then 6.17 million hectares were sown with them, in 2007 they decreased to 5.26 million hectares, and in 2008 they amounted to 5.5 million hectares.

Processors confirm that they do not always have enough sunflower raw materials. Some replace it with rapeseed (see inset). Mikhail Rodionov, director of the Tomsk Krasnaya Gorka (MEZ of the Prodex group), cites as an example another holding company, Stepnye Klyuchi, from the Altai Territory, with a capacity of 30,000 tons of raw materials per year. It works on sunflower, and since June it has been stopped: there is simply no raw material in the region, since in 2007 there was a crop failure, Rodionov makes a helpless gesture. Now, according to him, it will be possible to launch this oil extraction plant only in October, when the raw materials collected in 2008 will enter the market. It is unprofitable to bring it from other regions, the director states.

Our sunflower is the most oily

Company market research manager Bunge Svetlana Ivashura, like Mirsagatova, draws attention to the high profitability of sunflower - 100-400% "depending on the season." Now for agricultural producers, it is perhaps the most profitable of all agricultural crops, she suggests. The decrease in its production in 2007 Ivashura, in addition to the reduction in crops, explains the drought, primarily in the southern regions. This year, the sunflower area has increased, she confirms the IKAR data, and the weather is favorable, so the harvest will not only be large in volume, but also of good quality. High oil content is generally a distinctive feature of our sunflower: usually it is 45-47%, while the standard for international trade is 42-44%. “We have no problems with the quality of raw materials,” agrees the co-owner of the oil and fat holding “ Efko» Valery Sergachev. The oil content of sunflower, purchased by the Altai oil refinery "Prodex", is 48%, and Rodionov is also satisfied. The company helps local farmers to improve the quality: it buys highly productive imported seed hybrids and advances farms with them, and they sell the grown crop to Prodex. “So we increased the oil content by 10-12% in just a year,” Rodionov sums up. “Oil content is one of the main indicators of quality and directly affects the price of sunflower,” explains Ivashura. — Of course, it fluctuates depending on weather conditions, but a lot also depends on the farmers themselves. Some people sow sunflowers on the same area for several years in a row, which leads not only to the spread of diseases, a decrease in soil fertility and crop volume, but also to a drop in the quality of raw materials [including oil content].” Crop rotations, according to Ivashura's observations, are mostly not observed by small farms with an arable area of ​​less than 1,000 hectares. In pursuit of quick profits, they rarely think about tomorrow, she states.

With proper observance of technology, it is customary to sow sunflowers in the same field every few years. Although, for example, in the West they do it differently, says Ivashura: sunflower is placed on the same site every two years, or even two years in a row. But there, the use of chemical plant protection products is widespread, as well as the introduction of a large amount of mineral fertilizers - several centners per hectare. In our country, many farms do not use fertilizers at all, and even more so chemicals, Ivashura compares, so they only have to maintain soil fertility with the help of proper crop rotation. The quality of sunflower by 90% does not depend on crop rotation, but on natural factors - the degree of insolation of fields and the amount of precipitation, Sergachev expresses his opinion. “And non-observance of crop rotations and low-quality seeds are secondary indicators that only slightly affect quality,” he says.

Over the past eight years, there has been a continuous increase in the use of mineral fertilizers for sunflower by agricultural organizations - from 22 thousand tons (in terms of 100% nutrients) in 2000 to 59 thousand tons in 2008. The introduction of new varieties of seeds into circulation is also proceeding quite intensively, Ivashura is pleased. “So, we can hope for a further increase in sunflower yields,” she has no doubts.

Rarely sown

Farmers oppose the frequent sowing of sunflower despite its high profitability. Even those who use high-quality means of protection, apply enough fertilizers and buy imported hybrids, place it on the same site no more than once every five years.

At the Dzerzhinsky State Farm (Rostov Region), sunflower is sown in the same field every 8-9 years and supplied to Rostov and Krasnodar oil and fat enterprises. 1-1.2 thousand hectares are annually allocated for this agriculture out of 10 thousand hectares of arable land. “After sunflower, we have winter wheat or corn [in crop rotation], followed by sugar beets, spring crops and peas,” lists the director of the company Nikolay Zasko. The profitability of sunflower in the farm is high - about 200%. However, the head of the state farm does not plan to increase his crops or adjust crop rotation in order to harvest more often. This will lead to soil depletion, Zasko is sure. “We just try to plant crops with high profitability. For the same wheat, it is about 70%,” he adds. But the transition to new sunflower seeds is in full swing in the company. Previously, only Russian ones were used, but Zasko was dissatisfied with the low yield, which over the past few years has not exceeded 25-28 c/ha. Now he buys imported hybrids and expects 28-35 q/ha (the average is 30 q/ha). “This year they already occupy 70% of our sunflower area, while earlier it was only 30%,” says Zasko.

In the Volgograd company "MT-Agro", 40 thousand hectares are occupied with sunflower, the yield of imported hybrids is 18 centners per hectare, the cost price is 4 thousand rubles per ton. According to the general director of the farm, Dmitry Mikhailenko, the profitability exceeds 100%, although a few years ago it was no more than 70%. Prices for sunflower rose strongly, the director is pleased. In one place, it is sown more often in MT-Agro than in the Dzerzhinsky State Farm: every five years. “By using intensive technologies and using complex fertilizers, we manage to organize crop rotation so that the soil after sunflower is not depleted,” Mikhailenko says. “The next year after it, the land remains fallow, and in the remaining four years we sow winter wheat, spring crops, peas and corn.”

Rapeseed Alternative

Despite the high profitability of sunflower, farmers sometimes refuse to grow it or reduce crops to a minimum, and MEZs from processing in order to switch to rapeseed. “Now we are only refining and packaging sunflower oil under the Ideal and Oleina brands for Bunge,” says Sergey Kruglov, CEO of Orelrastmasl. “We only produce rapeseed oil. And the production of sunflower oil was abandoned two years ago.” Kruglov explains this decision by the fact that the demand for rapeseed oil is growing rapidly and this segment is not yet saturated, unlike sunflower oil. In addition, in the Orel, as well as in the neighboring Lipetsk and Kursk regions, a lot of rapeseed is grown. These regions have a good resource base, explains Kruglov.
“Industrial processing of rapeseed in the near future can compete with sunflower processing,” he believes. “Although, of course, consumer preferences in the retail segment will remain the same: sunflower oil has always been the most popular in Russia.” Orelrastmaslo modernizes and increases production capacity for rapeseed. After the first stage of modernization, the volume of processing at the enterprise amounted to 300 tons / day, and next season it is planned to increase it to 1 thousand tons / day. “In the coming years, other plants processing this agricultural crop will be opened,” Kruglov has no doubts. “After all, rapeseed oil is cheaper than sunflower oil by an average of 10%. “We process only rapeseed,” Mikhail Rodionov, director of the Tomsk Krasnaya Gorka plant (part of the Prodex group), echoes him. “We produce 10-12 thousand tons / year ".
Farmers are also rushing to take their place in the rapeseed sector. “We stopped growing sunflower last year,” says Sergey Bigachev, commercial director of the Imtep group. - They sowed it once every seven years, strictly observing crop rotations, and now they have completely switched to rapeseed. The fact is that the demand for this crop is growing rapidly, but the sunflower market is stable. In addition, we plan to make rapeseed oil ourselves.”

Agricultural activity rarely attracts businessmen. Growing sunflowers is not difficult, especially if you start doing such an activity in a region suitable for climate. High business profitability attracts businessmen. A well-organized business can bring in 200 or 300 percent of the profit. High rates can be achieved in areas favorable for growing a flower.

Sunflower business products

The product of sunflower cultivation is its seeds. Many other products necessary for a person are made from them:

  • You can eat peeled sunflower seeds;
  • Production of sunflower oil - an indispensable product found in every kitchen;
  • Production of margarine - an analogue of butter;
  • Production of useful sweets: halva, gozinaki and sweets;
  • The seeds are used by the confectionery industry for the production and decoration of products.

Until recently, nothing was known about such a product as sunflower; it came to us from North America only under Peter the Great.

Sunflower varieties - which one to choose for business?

To effectively grow sunflower for sale, the farmer will have to choose the most suitable variety for his region:

  • Spring. The most commonly sown sunflower variety in Russia. Plants of this variety have the shortest vegetative period, lasting only 83 days. This variety is well suited for the production of oil, this is facilitated by a high (55) percentage of its content. Up to 30 centners of crops can be harvested from one hectare even under adverse weather conditions.
  • Gourmand. This variety was bred relatively recently, but has already managed to gain popularity. This was facilitated by high yields. At least 35 centners are collected from one hectare. The seeds of this variety are distinguished by a large regular shape, thanks to which they won the love of confectioners who use them to decorate their products. Plants cope well with possible diseases.
  • Yenisei. The plant is disease resistant and matures quickly. Only 90 days pass from planting to harvest. The variety gives large seeds, gives up to 4 kernels when crushed. But the plants of this variety have low indicators: the percentage of oil content is only 46, and it is not always possible to harvest more than 24 centners of the crop from one hectare.

The main genetic disadvantage of each of the sunflower species is its heterogeneity. Seeds ripen in about 2 months, during the harvest period, some plants are already fully ripe, while other x brothers are just starting to bloom. It can be very expensive to clean the fields several times a season, so unripe seeds have to be dried additionally.

Another feature of the plant is its phenotypic heterogeneity. The germination of plants, their flowering and maturation are heterogeneous, all flowers will have different heights, sizes of baskets, their slopes. For this reason, cleaning will be very complicated.

You can deal with these problems using hybrids. Such varieties have a number of advantages:

  • Less soil depletion;
  • Rapid maturation;
  • Practically not susceptible to disease;
  • All seeds will be the same size;
  • Simultaneous maturation of all plant specimens.

Hybrid seeds are much more expensive than simple varieties, so farmers very often prefer them, but when harvesting "thrifty" farmers, unexpected costs will await:

  • Due to the heterogeneity of the harvest, equipment wears out much faster and will soon require costly repairs or replacements;
  • When harvesting, a third of the crop is lost;
  • It is not always possible to effectively dry the seeds.

Choosing a site for growing sunflower

The main feature of sunflower cultivation is the need to constantly change the places where the flower grows. This is due to the unique feature of the plant - it "sucks" all the useful substances from the soil, completely depleting it and turning the once fertile soil into lifeless land in just a season.

To combat this disease of the soil, experts recommend constantly changing the places where the flower grows and letting the earth rest for at least a couple of seasons.

Sowing and growing sunflowers

Sowing work begins with the purchase of seeds. On a plot of one hectare, about 5 kilograms of quality seeds will be required. One kilogram costs about 200 rubles, so the purchase of seed for the site will cost 1000 rubles.

After purchasing the required number of seeds, prepare the soil on the site:

  • In autumn, the land is plowed with a tractor. Equipment does not have to be owned, rent of agricultural machines is now common.
  • In the spring, after the snow melts and the soil warms up, the site must be harrowed and cultivated.
  • After the climate stabilizes above 10 degrees Celsius and warm weather is established, seeds are planted. To create ideal growing conditions, sunflower seeds are placed in the soil by 8 - 10 cm. In this case, seedlings will appear as quickly as possible.
  • Uniform maturation of seeds is ensured by the simultaneous planting of all seeds on one day.

It is important to monitor the absence of weeds near fields with sunflowers. To combat excess plants, the space between the rows of sunflowers must be periodically weeded to remove excess sprouts.

Sunflower harvest

Harvesting begins when most of the plants turn brown. The collection begins when only 10% yellow remains on the field. The rest of it should be dry.

All harvesting work must be done in less than a week. In this case, the losses will be minimal. They will make up about 5% of the total harvest. To reduce losses, it is necessary to take care of timely harvesting. The best time to collect is a sunny dry day with humidity up to 20%.

Agricultural machinery is used for harvesting. Behind the combine should not be more than 3% of the crop.

To increase harvesting efficiency and prevent crop losses, it is recommended to stop the machines every three hours for inspection. They must do their job effectively:

  • Separation;
  • Threshing;
  • grain cleaning;
  • Harvest accumulation.

Sales of products

To sell products, the farmer must conclude agreements with confectioners, points of sale and butter factories. It is recommended to do this without waiting for the maturation of the plants. To protect against unexpected crop losses and non-fulfillment of contracts, they can be concluded for a crop volume less than expected. Unsold products can be kept for personal use or retail sale.

Storage of unsold products

Seeds immediately after collection do not tolerate storage, undergo changes and rot. High humidity and contamination negatively affect the shelf life of this product.

  • The temperature of the seed rises to 25 degrees Celsius. At the same time, flowability, smell, taste, gloss, color and germination do not change.
  • The temperature is already rising to 40 degrees. Microorganisms develop rapidly on seeds. The smell becomes musty, the taste becomes bitter, the shine is lost, and the seeds themselves are covered with mold fungi. Even the color of the nuclei changes. At this stage, the seeds are no longer suitable for further use. The mound of seeds is strongly compacted, the oil is characterized by an increase in acidity. At the same time, the germination of seeds decreases markedly.
  • In the third stage, the temperature reaches 55 degrees. At this point, already thermophilic bacteria are actively developing. Unpleasant tastes and odors are aggravated, the seed coat begins to darken, and the shine disappears. The acidity of the oil becomes critical, the seeds are no longer suitable for human consumption by 85%. Their germination is completely reduced to zero.
  • In the fourth stage, the seeds continue to increase their temperature. This stage is characterized by one hundred percent defectiveness of seeds.

Long-term storage will be effective only if seeds with a low contamination of up to 2% are selected for it. They should be dried to 5 - 7% moisture. For efficient storage, they are cooled to low, but positive temperatures.

Subject to these rules, sunflower seeds can be stored for up to 6 months.

Profitability of business on sunflowers

The profitability of a business depends on the combination of income and expenses. To process one hectare, you will need the following equipment:

  • Pre-sowing treatment will cost 3000 rubles.
  • Pest control - another 1200.
  • Cleaning costs 2000.
  • Fuel costs will be approximately 1000 rubles.

The income will be 40,000 rubles per ton. About 2.5 tons of crops can be harvested from one hectare, taking into account losses. It turns out an income of 100,000 - 7200 \u003d 92,800 rubles per hectare.

Video about sunflower cultivation:


The ultimate goal of any investment is to earn a certain amount of profit. There are a huge number of ways to earn this profit (say a million). The difference between these methods is as follows:

  • where to invest;
  • how much to invest;
  • what is the return on investment;
  • how quickly these investments will pay off;
  • what taxes will have to be paid and how much; and etc.

Agriculture as an industry and crop production in particular has a number of advantages over other industries. You will see these advantages and disadvantages below.

It would seem that sunflower is grown in every agricultural enterprise, but most of these enterprises operate at a loss and are bankrupt. Only after working in one of these enterprises, one can understand that these losses are artificial.

Sunflower has a number of features that distinguish it from other crops:

1) This is a spring crop, which means that the production cycle begins in spring, ends in autumn and lasts only 100-150 days, depending on the variety and technology.

2) This is a cold-resistant, drought-resistant plant in the initial period of growth before flowering, that is, adapted to our climate.

3) With intensive technology of sunflower cultivation in the Voronezh region, the sunflower yield reaches 20-25 centners of seeds per 1 ha, and the oil content of the seeds is 50-54%.

4) For sowing 1 hectare, 5-10 kg of seeds are required, which means that only 1-2 tons of seeds are required for an area of ​​200 hectares, which means:

  • minimum costs for transportation and storage of seeds;
  • minimum costs in monetary terms per 1 ha for seeds;
  • sowing of 200 hectares is carried out by 3-5 people in 7-10 days with 1 MTZ-80.82 tractor, SUPN-8 planter, 1 vehicle capable of delivering 1-2 tons of seeds and a certain amount of fertilizer.

5) The availability of the necessary set of agricultural machines to perform the entire or almost the entire range of work on the cultivation of sunflower in each, even a run-down enterprise.

The disadvantages of sunflower include the impossibility of sowing sunflower in one place earlier than after 8 years, as a result of which it occupies 10-12% of the total area in the crop rotation structure.

Consider the costs of sunflower cultivation technology on an area of ​​200 hectares.

According to the table, we can conclude that sunflower production is efficient, profitable, cost-effective. In addition, if in the structure of the enterprise's revenue the volume of revenue from agricultural products is at least 70%, then this enterprise acquires the status of an agricultural producer, which gives certain tax benefits, and also allows you to receive subsidies to support production from the federal and local budgets.

These are the advantages of agriculture over other industries. Where else can you invest with a profitability of production of 300 percent or more? Where are the products for 1.5 million rubles. can produce several people, actually working 1.5-2 months, while paying a minimum of taxes from 1.2 million profits, and without violating the law? (do not cite as an example the products of natural monopolies and extractive industries).

Sunflower cultivation is a small, visible part of the profitability of agricultural production. Any agricultural crop is profitable.