The drama of Polish farmers. Thousands of tons of potatoes are rotting. There is a petition to the government
The warehouses of potato farmers are full. However, the prices of these vegetables have dropped significantly, and thousands of tons of the product are starting to rot. According to the account of farmer Agnieszka Tołłoczko-Wróbel, the situation is becoming dramatic. Many people are on the verge of bankruptcy.
As reported by Tygodnik Poradnik Rolniczy, farmers have huge problems with selling potatoes. Tołłoczko-Wróbel recalls her conversation with one of the farmers, who is completely devastated by what is happening. “This farmer told me that she doesn't have even a liter of fuel in her tractors. Currently, she lives on 800 plus. Once, with 50 hectares, she had enough for everything, and today her daughter had to go to work because this farmer has no money to pay for her studies. There is simply nowhere to sell potatoes,” she says.
See also: There are tons of potatoes in warehouses. “The situation is complicated”
Farmers' drama. Tons of potatoes are rotting in warehouses. There is a petition to the government
According to her account, the farmer sold some of the potatoes for 20 groszy per 1 kg. Later, however, buyers wanted to give her only half of that rate. Tołłoczko-Wróbel herself also faces serious problems. He estimates that losses related to her crops may reach up to PLN 3 million. She didn't even harvest some of the potatoes. “We plowed over 120 hectares,” he says.
Read also: Poland is struggling with the potato disaster. The mountain of “demonized vegetables” is growing
An online petition was created under the slogan “Crisis on the potato market – urgent help for Polish farmers.” It is addressed to Prime Minister Donald Tusk, Minister of Agriculture Stefan Krajewski and Minister of Finance Andrzej Domański. So far, over 150 people have signed it.
Check also: Is Poland on the verge of a potato disaster? Farmers say straight: it has never been this bad before
The authors of the petition warn that the overproduction of potatoes in Europe and the lack of sales opportunities have led to warehouses being full and prices not even covering production costs. They demand two basic forms of support from the government:
- 40 groszy per 1 kg of potato sent to biogas plants or industrial plants,
- 60 gr per 1 kg of unsold seed potatoes including their disposal.
