Rumanía: Purple potatoes, a lucrative business in Romania

One must take into account that a kilo of purple potato seeds costs growers between 25 and 30 lei*. These seeds will yield approximately 10 kilos of potatoes, which can subsequently be sold for as much as 300 lei per kilo.According to some calculations, 1,000 square metres require 350 kilos of seeds, and thus for one hectare growers must purchase 3,500 kilos of seeds. At a price of 30 lei/kg, the cost of setting up each hectare amounts to just about 105,000 lei (24,000 Euro), to which we must add specific labour costs (2,500 lei), according to agrointel.ro.Most purple potato crops are planted with the French variety Vitelotte Noir. This variety, which is cultivated in Europe since the nineteenth century, was originally brought from Peru. According to recent research, purple potatoes are among the healthiest vegetables, as they have a high content of anthocyanin, a powerful antioxidant, writes greatnews.ro