In the Călăraşi commune of Dolje, the farmers have started to pull out the first new potatoes grown in solariums from the ground a few days ago. Maxim Tomiţa has two, with an area of 1,800 square meters. He thinks he will have a rich harvest: a ton and 300,000. In order to have something to take to the markets, he made an investment of 10,000 euros.
New Romanian potatoes have appeared
“At our place it was minus 9 degrees in January and we had to heat them because they were already up. Heat guns, generators with air heaters, boiled water with a stove underneath. We put everything we could in the solarium to protect them”he tells Maxim Tomitafarmer.
The fertile soil in the area known as the Oltenia Sahara, which stretches in the form of a triangle between Craiova, Calafat and Dăbuleni, has yielded good results everywhere, say the farmers. “I didn’t spray them with anything at all. No pests appeared”says a farmer.
“We go with it to the sale in Pucheni, to the wholesaler. They are very tender. We keep them covered because if the sun shines on them they will turn black”he explained Catalin Marius Stoineafarmer.
- Anișoara Duculescu, farmer: We had microporous cloth in two layers, we had heating and now we are very satisfied. I’ve never taken them out so early.
- Reporter: When did you usually take them?
- Anișoara Duculescu, farmer: Towards the end of April.
How much does a kilo of new potatoes cost?
Early crops come with higher prices. “In the markets, old Romanian potatoes predominate, with prices that start from 3 and can reach at most 4 lei per kilogram. Easily, easily, however, they make their way to the stalls and the spring truffles – the new potatoes, also Romanian. But the price theirs is higher, 10 lei per kilogram”to miss Clara MihociuObserver reporter.
“They are very expensive, considering that they are from our country”a Romanian thinks. “When you buy them, you don’t think about the price. You wanted a kilo, a kilo and a half”says another. “I don’t buy. I have a small pension. It’s expensive. Everything is expensive”someone else adds.
The climate makes the price difference between our goods and those of foreigners, experts say. “An extra expense was made. There are products from these countries that are warm all year round”he says Vlad Gheorgherepresentative of the Organization of Fruit and Vegetable Producers.
By the end of the month, the potatoes planted under the open sky will also appear. “There are almost 200 hectares of potatoes placed “cold” – improperly said – they are covered with acrylic, with foil, on the ground”stated Sorin Sanduthe mayor of Călărași commune.
In 2023, Romanian farmers harvested a total of one million tons of potatoes, less than the previous year, but that’s because the area they planted was smaller. Instead, we bought goods worth 79 million euros from abroad and sold abroad 20 times less.
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