Romania could grow most of the potatoes it eats. Yet it still spends heavily on imports. That is the view of Peter Kiss, a potato grower in Covasna county. He spoke to the business daily Ziarul Financiar on 15 September 2026.

Peter Kiss owns Solfarm, a family farm business. It grows potatoes, cereals and rapeseed. The business had revenue of 18 million lei in 2025, according to the newspaper.

Storage is the missing link

According to the grower, Romanian farmers could cover 70% to 80% of domestic potato needs. The problem is storage. Without controlled storage, growers cannot keep quality for three to six months. They must sell soon after harvest, when prices are lowest.

Farm prices now stand at 0.8 to 1 leu per kg, he said. Between harvest and the following months, prices rise by 50% to 100%. By then, many local potatoes are already sold.

Imports fill the gap. According to the grower, Romania spends more than €100 million a year on potato imports. Potatoes from western Europe sell at prices 40% to 60% higher than local ones.

A call for shared stores

Peter Kiss argues for regional storage centres. He says individual farms struggle to finance their own stores. Rising energy costs make cold storage more expensive to run.

Covasna is one of the best-known potato regions in Romania. Its mountain climate suits the crop. But many farms there are small and lack modern buildings.

A tight European market

The timing matters. Western Europe faces one of its smallest potato harvests in years. The combined crop in the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Germany is estimated at 20.8 million tonnes. That is 23.7% below last season. Imported potatoes may therefore cost more this winter.

Why it matters

Storage decides who captures the seasonal price rise. Romanian growers sell cheap at harvest and import costs flow abroad later in the year. Better storage could keep more value in the country.

The figures come from one grower and have not been checked against official data. Still, they point to a clear investment gap. Shared regional stores, possibly with public support, could reduce the import bill and stabilise farm incomes.

Photo: Potatoes (illustrative). Scott Bauer, USDA ARS / Wikimedia Commons, public domain