Seed costs have doubled in recent years while agricultural labour has become more expensive and harder to find.
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00:00Romanian potato farmers are struggling with rising costs and labor shortages.
00:08This has caused a years-long decline in the country's potato production.
00:13Farmers say labor is increasingly expensive and hard to find.
00:18In 2024, Romania saw its lowest harvest of potatoes in eight years, despite accounting
00:23for almost a third of Europe's potato farms.
00:27And while production is at a historic low, demand continues to grow, driving increased
00:31imports, which is reflected in prices.
00:34The harvest is over.
00:36It's very weak.
00:37It's expensive.
00:38Before, it was 2 lei, 2.50 lei, and now it's 3, 3.50 lei.
00:43It depends on each one how much they give.
00:46To keep up with demand, Romania imports potatoes mostly from Poland.
00:51But Poland's production has also been in decline in recent years, which could pose further
00:55problems for Romania's shortage in the future.