Because of the heat and drought, the Romanian fruit and vegetable production this year will be smaller and more expensive. Experts say that production volumes could drop by around 20%. "Currently, the market is sufficiently supplied. The situation in August was fine because many were on holidays and consumption was lower, but demand will increase ahead of the winter," said Aurel Tanase, Executive Director of the Romanian National Interprofessional Organization of Fruits and Vegetables, Prodcom. Because of the drought and lower production, the price of vegetables and fruits has already increased, warns Aurel Tanase. "Prices are already on the rise compared to the same period last year. For example, onions, which previously cost 0.9 lei* per kilo, now stand at 2 to 2.2 lei/kilo; the same trend is true for potatoes, since this year's production will be at least 30-40% lower than last year. Potatoes are currently sold for 1.5 lei per kilo, reaching up to 2 lei, while last year the price at origin ranged between 0.5 and 0.6 lei per kilo, with a retail price of 1 leu per kilo," said Aurel Tanase. In this context, the Executive Director of Prodcom stated that financial assistance for fruit and vegetable producers affected by the impact of drought has been requested to the Ministry of Agriculture. "We met with the Ministry of Agriculture and requested focused attention on this sector. For some vegetables, high temperatures and the big difference between day and night has caused the loss of a good percentage of flowers, occasionally as much as 40%. Source - http://www.freshplaza.com