The importation of potatoes for cultivation is close to an end. This year the Moldovan farmers benefited from discounts of up to 10% from Dutch potato growers. Until now the Moldovans have imported 700,000 tonnes of potatoes, the chairman of the Association of Potato Producers “Solana-M” Petru Iliev has told IPN.

”It was a harder year and we agreed discounts with the European partners, especially the Dutch ones. We imported 700,000 tonnes, but need more. The people started to be more cautious when importing potatoes. The elite potatoes cost €460-480 per tonne. They offered us discounts of €30, €40 and €50 a tonne,” said Petru Iliev.

A kilogram of potatoes for consumption from producers now costs up to 3.5 lei. “We tried to maintain the prices for many years, but the costs associated with potato growing are on the rise,” stated the chairman of the Association of Potato Producers.

The mass planting of potatoes starts in the first decade of April. In the southern districts of Moldova, potatoes have been already planted in hothouses and on areas covered with polyethylene. The potatoes can be planted when the soil temperature is 5-7 degrees Celsius.

Among the agrifood products imported into Moldova, tomatoes rank first by quantity, followed by citrus fruit and potatoes. Acting Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Vasile Bumacov told IPN earlier that Moldova cultivates and exports potatoes, but the Moldovans do not yet manage to produce potatoes good for reproduction.