Potato cultivation in Hargita County has dropped significantly

(Photo: Pixabay)

According to the report of Agerpres, the director said at the board meeting of the prefecture of the Székelyföld county, which is famous for its potato cultivation, that only 6,500 hectares of potato land are registered in the county this year, while ten years ago it was more than double, 14,000 to 15,000 hectares. According to the director, the decline is continuous, and mainly small producers decide to grow potatoes for their own use instead of selling them. There are several reasons for this, in addition to the drop in consumption and the increase in the price of fertilizers and sprays, the fact that as a small producer it is difficult to sell the product in supermarkets also contributes.

According to Zsolt Ronfeld, large producers do not see a decline, they have more storage and sales opportunities

In the Székelyföld county, the area of potato fields has decreased to below 7,000 hectares for the second year, last year 6,950 hectares were planted, and this year a decline of 450 hectares can also be seen. He said that a similar decrease can be seen in sugar beet fields, where only 82 hectares are registered this year after 160 hectares two years ago. In the county, in the 1990s, the plant was grown on 350 hectares, before the change of regime, on 1,000 hectares. Here, too, the low buyer’s price and ever-increasing expenses are the cause of the decline – said the director.

MTI