Tomato producers in Olt county have started harvesting and selling the products at prices between 25 lei and 32 lei per kilogram, upon leaving the farm

Several dozen tomato producers in Olt county have started harvesting and selling tomatoes at prices between 25 lei and 32 lei per kilogram when they leave the farm to traders, according to the president of the Olt Agricultural Producers’ Union (SPA), Ion Păunel, for Agerpres.

The president of SPA Olt explained on Wednesday some of the reasons why Romanian tomatoes currently have, in the markets, prices of over 40 lei per kilogram and he pointed out that gradually, until May, with the increase in the number of producers and the quantities delivered, the price could drop to around 20 lei per kilogram.

During this period, only the “pioneers”, the “true professionals” who have experience and have invested for several years in bringing new technologies, for more efficient heating systems, harvested.

“Few producers started harvesting tomatoes during this period, very few indeed, we are talking about the so-called ‘pioneers’ who also have the necessary experience, over 7-8 years. They are the ones who took risks every time, the ones who also developed the caloric power, I can say that they are the real professionals, we are talking about tomatoes in solariums, not in greenhouses. They invested in heating systems, in technology that would allow them to harvest at the end of March. They had a very high fuel consumption and worked continuously since the end of December, since they planted. That is why the price of the first tomatoes is higher. We are also talking about a very small number of producers who are currently harvesting. If during the period March 15-20, when the first tomatoes were harvested, we were talking about a few producers in the whole country, the first being those from the south of Olt county, now, let’s say we are going to about 20-30 producers”, said Ion Peacock.

He mentioned that a kilogram of tomatoes is purchased from the farm at prices between 25 lei and 32 lei, and he sent the traders a request to put lower additions.

“The price of tomatoes in the market indicates an addition of 50% – 60% compared to the purchase price, the one with which they leave the producer. We need resellers, traders, but we ask them to also have smaller, more worldly additions, let’s call them that. Because now we can find Romanian tomatoes in markets with prices between 40 and 60 lei per kilogram, depending on the quality, but they leave the producer with prices between 25 and 32 lei per kilogram”, said Păunel.

The leader of the farmers’ organization pointed out that at the beginning of May, on Easter, the number of producers who will harvest will reach several thousand, which is why tomatoes will have prices between 10 lei and 20 lei per kilogram.

“In two weeks, I think that around 500-600 producers will harvest, and by the beginning of May, almost all of them who had heating systems, at least 1,500-2,000 farmers from Olt county alone. It seems that this year the farmers are betting on a bigger production and hope to get the profit from selling a bigger quantity. I think that on Easter, the price for a kilogram of tomatoes will be between 8 lei and 14 lei at the farmers and between 10 lei and 20 lei in the market. However, it is only an estimate, a forecast”, said Ion Păunel.

Many of the tomato producers in protected areas in Olt County have benefited in previous years from de minimis aid through the “Tomato” program and have begun to sign up for the 1,500 euro support that will be granted this year, through an aid scheme of the state to compensate for losses in the context of the crisis caused by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.

By Wednesday, more than 2,300 requests had been submitted in Olt County for support through the mentioned scheme granted to tomato producers in protected areas, the deputy director of the Olt County Agricultural Directorate, Mihaela Luminiţa Mareş, said for Agepres.

“Tomato producers have submitted over 2,300 requests, we also have teams in the field, both for surface and crop checks, together with APIA, and for taking over the files, so that we come to the farmers’ support, so that they no longer have to come with the files, to wait, to travel tens of kilometers”, said Mihaela Luminiţa Mareş.

For this aid scheme, tomato producers can submit applications until May 10.