According to the sellers, the goods came from the Cahul region, grown in arched greenhouses-tunnels and under agrofiber. The offer price is about 50 lei/kg for retail, 40-45 lei/kg for small wholesale.
Romanian young potatoes are offered at a similar price in the capital’s “open-air” fruit and vegetable markets. At the same time, they are better in quality – larger and more homogeneous caliber. This indicates that sorting by Moldovan potato farmers is not yet practiced on a regular basis.
In chain retailers, the range of young potatoes is represented by products from Macedonia, and more rarely from Egypt and Iran. They differ from early potatoes offered in markets and “boutique” retailers by their very large caliber and significantly, approximately half the price.
Outwardly, this product differs little from the washed potatoes of last year’s harvest, which in Chisinau supermarket chains are almost without exception imported (Belarus, France and the Netherlands).
It is interesting to note that in May, the retail price level for potatoes of the 2024 crop rose by about 8-10%, while the price range narrowed.
According to representatives of the Association of Potato Growers of Moldova, the high level of potato prices is likely to last until mid-summer.
