Tons of carrots are rotting in storage facilities in the Pavlodar region (video).

In the Pavlodar region, tons of carrots are rotting as local farmers struggle to sell their produce. According to them, the market has been flooded with vegetables from Russia. Domestic entrepreneurs are facing potential billion-tenge losses.

Nikita Zapara is a third-generation farmer. His family has been growing carrots, onions, and cabbage for over 50 years. The man admits that he has never experienced such a decline in sales as this year. He usually sold up to 70 tons of carrots a day, but now he has only managed to sell 35 tons in two weeks.

"There is a significant problem with sales this year. Previously, I could sell around 60 tons a day—roughly two truckloads. But this year, in two weeks, I've sold one truckload... considering that I am actively looking for buyers. When we talk to buyers, they say that Russian carrots are being brought in... whoever we speak with says, 'We got carrots from Volgograd, we got carrots from Volgograd.' Carrots are coming to Almaty easily by rail from Volgograd," says Nikita Zapara.

According to the farmer, his enterprise harvested 500 tons of carrots this season. Currently, 280 tons are stored in the warehouse, and some are already starting to rot. Notably, the businessman spent seven million tenge on the planting season. Having lost hope for profit, he is now aiming to break even.

"I usually open this warehouse either on March 8 or on the 22nd, during holidays. But this year, I opened earlier because I see the market situation. Honestly, it would have been better if we sold everything in the fall. I think that would have been much more profitable. Last year, we sold at 90-95 tenge—around March, I mean. And this year, right now, (in terms of price - ed.) I can't sell for 70 tenge; I can't find a client. I could have sold in the fall for 60-65," the farmer shared.

In better times, specialists say, 15-20 trucks loaded with carrots would leave the region for Almaty each day. Now, there are a maximum of 8 trucks, six of which are "Gazelles."

"Currently, official services state that there is no ban on the import and export of carrots. At the same time, a large quantity of carrots—whether officially or unofficially—has entered Kazakhstan. Now the entire southern market is occupied by non-local carrots. If we don't find a market for our carrots now, they will simply rot. According to unofficial data, carrots are priced at 300 tenge retail in the south. Here, they cost 100-120 tenge retail. And our wholesale price is only 60," says Nikolai Nadyrov, chairman of the SPK "Chernozyorsky."

The agriculture department states that the market situation is similar to previous years. Exports are open.

"According to the official data we requested from the regional territorial inspection, there is no import from the Russian Federation to the Republic of Kazakhstan. In total, about three thousand tons have been imported to date. But here, there are also products from China and other republics, just not from Russia. The same volume that was sold in February last year has been sold this year," reported Darhan Doshanov, head of the Pavlodar region's agriculture department.

This year, Pavlodar farmers harvested about 150,000 tons of carrots. There are 38,000 tons left in storage. Officials are now trying to help sell this produce. If they fail, the losses could amount to billions of tenge.

Recall that earlier in January, it was reported that a good harvest of sugar beets was produced in the Zhambyl region this year; however, farmers are not pleased as mountains of root vegetables lie by the roadside and will soon begin to rot.

Last summer, due to an excess of melons, farmers reported having to feed melons and watermelons to livestock. The local market is overflowing with this produce, while demand abroad has sharply declined.

In the spring, farmers from Taraz were forced to give away onions for free—selling dozens of tons of vegetables proved impossible, and throwing them away was too costly for the farmers.