Europa: Potato prices finally falling in Slovakia
“The domestic production looks promising; we have enough potatoes, which is why the price is gradually decreasing. We’ve registered a 10-15-cent price drop in the past two weeks, and this trend will continue in the coming period.
The price level could already stabilize by July,” said Juraj Mačaj, member of the presidency of the Slovak Chamber of Agriculture and Food (SPPK). In Slovakia, the price of potatoes has reached one of the highest levels in twenty years due to unfavorable weather conditions.
According to the Bureau of Statistics, while the average price paid in April last year stood at 60 cents per kilo, in April of this year it has reached 95 cents, which is an increase of almost 60% compared to a year earlier. Eva Sadovská, an agronomist and analyst at the Slovak Farmers’ Association (SFD), says that there are problems with the crop’s cultivation, besides the dry weather. Twenty years ago, more than 32,000 hectares of potatoes were harvested in Slovakia, and today this acreage has been reduced to 7.5 thousand hectares.
According to Emil Macho, president of SPPK, potatoes should be grown on at least 11-12 thousand hectares to ensure Slovakia’s self-sufficiency. "To achieve this, we would need more support from the state. In this regard, we are lagging behind our surrounding countries," said Macho.
Fuente: https://www.freshplaza.com/article/9121135/potato-prices-finally-falling-in-slovakia/
