Romania has approximately 14.7 million hectares of agricultural land, though only 10 million hectares are arable. Agriculture accounts for around 6% of GDP, down from 12.6% in 2004. Around 3 million people, or 30% of the workforce, are employed in agriculture. However, mechanization is poor with only one tractor per 54 hectares compared to the EU average of one per 13 hectares. The main problems for Romanian agriculture are a lack of investment, soil fragmentation and erosion, legal disputes over property, and outdated technology. Several major international companies have recently invested in Romanian agriculture.
2. Agriculture in Romania
Romania has an agricultural capacity of approximately 14.7 million
hectares, of which only 10 are used as arable land. In November 2008,
an evaluation revealed that 6.8 million hectares are not used
Agriculture summed up about 6% of GDP in 2007, down from 12.6%
in 2004. As of August 2009, approximately 3 million people (close to
30% of the country's workforce) are employed in agriculture,
compared to 4-5% in other Western countries. Mechanization is
comparatively poor, with one tractor available for every 54 hectares,
while the EU average is one tractor for every 13
hectares. Approximately 170,000 tractors exist in Romania, of which
about 80% are aging or obsolete.Unlike Western Europe, where
tractors are replaced after 3,000-4,000 hours of use, in Romania
they sometimes last up to 12,000 hours
3. • The main problems encountered by Romanian
agriculturists are a lack of major investments in
agriculture, due to difficulty in accessing available
funds, fragmentation and erosion of soil,
property-related lawsuits and obsolete
technology. Several major companies have
entered the Romanian market,
including Smithfield Foods , Cargill , Bunge
, Glencore, Lactalis and Meggle.
• These companies have since invested hundreds
of millions of euros in Romania.
4.
5. Production
• According to the National Statistics Institute, in
2006 991,000 ha of sun-flower and 191,000 ha of
soybean were cultivated. Cereal production in
2006 stood at 15.1 million tons, including 5.3
million tons of wheat and 8.6 million tons of
maize.In 2007, a severe drought destroyed over
60% of crops. Wheat production subsequently fell
to 3 million tons, and prices fell 25%. Analysts
claimed it was the worst harvest since 1940.
