Romania’s grain harvest this year will not be as impressive as the one in 2021 but still surpasses the domestic consumption, allowing the country to export the surplus and ease pressures on the global food market, according to agriculture minister Adrian Chesnoiu.

In 2021, Romania harvested a record 11.3 million tonnes of grain. The country’s farmlands often produce two or three times its domestic consumption. As a result, the country is among the largest grain sellers in the EU. Its agricultural exports also reach the Middle East, with Egypt buying the lion’s share.

“We will certainly have a stable production this year, which means having an export surplus,” Chesnoiu said in a Reuters interview.

The minister also said that rising production costs and relatively worse weather would prevent Romania from matching the record of last year.

The surplus could not come at a better time. Flour mills in Asia are likely to buy wheat from France and Romania, with Ukraine’s crops still blockaded by Russian fleets and mines.

Chesnoiu argued that Romania’s surplus grain would ease some of the pressure put on the global food industry.

He also gave assurances that storing the crops will not be a problem for Romanian farmers this year, as there is currently room for 29 million tonnes, with more storage space being developed.

(Photo: Denys Kovtun/Dreamstime)

radu@romania-insider.com