Tomato growers have started harvesting. At what price per kilo does it leave 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.

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

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During this period, only the “pioneers”, the “real 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, for over 7-8 years. They are the ones who took risks every time, the ones who developed and the caloric power, I can say that they are the real professionals, we are talking about tomatoes in solariums, not in greenhouses. They have invested in heating systems, in technology to allow them to harvest at the end of March. They have had a very high consumption of fuel and have been working 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 between March 15 and 20, when they when the first tomatoes were harvested, we were talking about several producers all over the country, the first being those from the south of Olt county, now, let’s say we’re going to about 20-30 producers”, said Ion Păunel.

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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 find Romanian tomatoes in the 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,” he stated Peacock.

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

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“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 they are betting on a bigger production and hope to get the profit from selling a bigger quantity. I think that at Easter, the price for a kilogram of tomatoes will be between 8 lei and 14 lei at the farmers’ market and between 10 lei and 20 lei of lei. However, it is only an estimate, a forecast”, mentioned 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 started 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.

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Until Wednesday, more than 2,300 requests were submitted in Olt county for support through the mentioned scheme granted to tomato producers in protected areas, stated the deputy director of the Olt County Agricultural Directorate, Mihaela Luminița Mareș.

“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 Luminița Mareș.

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