Romania has recorded surplus in agri-food products trade after the first three quarters of 2015, exports advancing by 7.6 percent compared to the same period in 2014, to EUR 4.2 billion, while imports totaled EUR 4.16 billion, a plus of 17.3 percent, according to Ministry of Agriculture data.
The trade surplus of agri-food products stood to EUR 31.1 million, in the first nine months of 2015, strong decrease from EUR 349.6 million in the same period in 2014.
External deliveries of corn and cigarettes, which generated one third of the proceeds from the exports of agri-food products, increased by EUR 331.3 million (EUR 725.5 million total export) and by EUR 174.3 million (EUR 673.9 million total export).
The total amount of corn exported in the first nine months increased by 2.5 times compared to the same period in 2014 to 3.86 million tonnes and that of cigarettes by 1.2 times, totaling 37,800 tonnes.
As regards imports, most of the groups of food products increased, mainly corn (EUR 182.9 million, representing imports for re-export), barley (EUR 41.6 million), raw tobacco (EUR 39.7 million), sugar (EUR 31 million).
The import of live animals from swine species decreased (- EUR 23.1 million), wheat (-EUR 6 million) and milk and cream (- EUR 0.9 million), amid the drop in raw material prices, the quantity imported is higher by 14,900 tonnes.
The European Union was the main partner in Romania’s agri-food trade. During the first nine months of 2015, deliveries of agricultural products to that destination had a value share of 63 percent, and purchases from Member States have held a share of 80.8 percent.