Leaders of the Association of Potato Growers of Moldova hope that large growers will reconsider plans to reduce the area of potato plantations this year. Back in the fall of 2021, about a third of all large farmers growing potatoes on dozens of hectares announced plans to partially reorient themselves to grain production. However, due to the autumn drought, the total area of winter crops for the 2022 harvest did not increase in the country, but decreased by almost 100 000 ha. There is hope that during the spring planting season, farmers will not reduce the area for planting potatoes and vegetables too much while focusing on sunflower and corn.
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According to the association’s experts, the main constraint is that potato farms currently imported 20-30% less planting material than last year. Meanwhile, prices for seed potatoes in Poland and Romania are rising, and many Moldovan farmers will not risk increasing purchases. Moreover, the weather conditions for sowing potatoes, at least early varieties, “were worse than the average norm”, growers say.
As representatives of the industry association forecast, the area planted with potatoes in specialized farms is most likely to decrease under the current circumstances. In part, this will be offset by the continued increase in potato growing by rural households over the past two agricultural seasons – for their own consumption and for fodder. With this in mind, it can be assumed that the total area of potato plantations in the country will not fall below 17 000-19 000 ha. However, the production for self consumption, the reduction of its market-oriented component in the face of a decrease in foreign trade due to the war in Ukraine, potentially poses a big risk for the fruit and vegetable market in Moldova.
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