The decline in potato production in Romania has reached alarming levels, with farmers increasingly giving up on cultivating the crop due to surging costs. Seed prices have doubled in recent years, and the agricultural labor market has become more expensive and difficult to navigate.
According to the National Institute of Statistics, Romania’s potato production in 2024 was the lowest it has been in eight years, despite the fact that the country is home to nearly one-third of the EU’s potato farms. While the average yield for the EU hovers around 35 tonnes per hectare, Romania’s yield has plummeted to an estimated 14.8 tonnes per hectare last year.
The challenges have been compounded by extreme weather conditions, including drought and heat in 2024, which further hindered production efforts. Despite these difficulties, demand for potatoes remains high, with local farmers reporting that domestic production can only meet about half of the nation’s consumption needs. This has led to an influx of imported potatoes in retail markets, where prices have climbed; a kilogram of potatoes typically sells for about 5 lei (€1).
Traders are facing challenges as sales have not kept pace with previous years, while some farmers are compelled to abandon potato farming altogether due to overwhelming initial costs. The problem is not isolated to Romania; other EU countries are also experiencing declining potato yields. Approximately 70% of the EU’s harvested potato area is concentrated in just five countries: France, Poland, the Netherlands, and Belgium.
Data from 2000 to 2023 reveals a staggering decline of 27.9 million tonnes in the EU’s harvested potato production, representing a decrease of 36.7%. Poland, in particular, has seen a significant drop in its potato outputs, affecting Romania particularly hard, as it is the largest recipient of Polish potatoes.
As costs continue to surge and yields plummet, the future of potato farming in Romania looks increasingly uncertain.
