Romania ranked first in the European Union (EU) last year for the area cultivated with sunflower and corn, according to a press release of the National Statistics Institute (INS) issued on Friday.

The country ranked first both for the cultivated area and the production of sunflower seeds. The surface used for this crop rose by 4,000 hectares last year, to over 1.01 million whereas the production increased by 168,000 tons to 1.95 million tons.

As for maize, Romania ranked first for the cultivated area and second for production, after France. The cultivated surface diminished by 107,000 hectares to 2.49 million whereas the production increased by 1.03 million tons, to 10 million tons.

Romania ranked fifth for the cultivated area with wheat, with 2.11 million hectares, after France, Germany, Poland, Spain. It also ranked fifth for the production of wheat after France, Germany, the UK and Poland, with 8.28 million tons.

As for potatoes, Romania was third in the EU for the cultivated area, with 185,000 hectares, after Poland and Germany, and seventh by output, with 2.68 million tons, after Germany, Poland, France, Holland, UK, Belgium.

editor@romania-insider.com