Last year, according to official data, the area under potatoes in Moldova was approximately 24,000 ha. According to the country’s fruit and vegetable market operators, about 15 thousand hectares of potato plantations were held by professional farms. Marketable potato production, according to expert estimates, exceeded 200 thousand tons.
A high harvest with moderate demand resulted in relatively low potato prices throughout the current (ending) marketing season. This year, the wholesale price of potatoes in Moldova did not leave the range of 4-6 lei/kg, which is almost twice lower than the price level in the same period last year.
At the same time, due to high production in many European countries, the prices for potatoes of the 2025 crop were many times lower than in Moldova.
Will prices for potatoes of the new harvest increase?
Almost certainly yes. Financial contracts linked to potato prices have risen by more than 700% amid speculation over war with Iran and concerns about global food security. Euronews reports that.
Since April 21, the cost of potato contracts has risen from about 2.11 euros to 18.50 euros per 100 kilograms. We are talking about the so-called CFD-contracts – financial instruments that reflect market expectations about future prices.
Market analysts believe that the sharp rise in quotations is not due to a shortage of potatoes (on the contrary, there is a surplus of this commodity on the market), but to the nervous reaction of financial markets to possible problems in the future.
Among the main risks are the consequences of the war in the Middle East. The conflict has complicated the supply of fertilizers, ammonia, potassium and other components necessary for the agricultural sector. Potatoes are a resource- and capital-intensive agricultural product.
Experts note that the current jump does not mean a sharp rise in prices for European buyers right now. It is primarily a matter of financial market volatility and traders’ attempts to assess the possible consequences of the war for the agricultural sector in the future.
