After investing hundreds of thousands of lei in vegetable growing, the rain of the last few days is close to destroying what the Moldovan producers obtained until now. The harvest of watermelons is in danger, while the cabbages decompose in the fields owing to the high level of moisture.
Contacted by IPN, Mihai Croitoru, producer from Sangera, said that he invested about 200,000 lei in the cultivation of cabbages on five hectares, and 100,000 lei in the cultivation of watermelons on three hectares. As a result of the recent heavy rain, the producer is no longer sure that he will be able to at least recoup the investments. About 150 tonnes of cabbages are decaying in the fields.
Mihai Croitoru stated that he had to sell one kilogram of cabbage for only 0.3 lei and got 900 lei for 3 tonnes. The money was not enough to pay at least the workers who helped him cut the cabbage. At the markets of Chisinau, the cabbage is sold for 3-4 lei a kilogram and the producers do not make much profit. Mihai Croitoru said he has to give the remaining cabbage for nothing as he cannot keep it in the fields. The wholesale prices are anyway low and he will make no profit.
The producer does not have optimistic forecasts about the watermelons either as the harvest is in danger because there is too much water in soil.
Producer Constantin Bivol from Costesti, Ialoveni, said he was lucky as the weather in their parts was good and he already started to sell the ripe watermelons. However, the prices fell very quickly and a kilogram now costs 3.5 lei.
Constantin Bivol also said the watermelons in Moldova started to be grown according to efficient technologies that are inoffensive to plans. They favor the early ripening and thus the watermelons are sold at the beginning of July already. But this summer’s frequent rain affected a part of the plants and their roots started to decompose. As the weather was not very sunny and the temperatures were lower, the watermelons are not as sweet as the previous years.
