EUR 757.34m trade deficit with agri-food products in three quarters of 2017

Romania registered deficit in the agri-food trade after the first three quarters of 2017, with exports up by only 2.7% against the similar period in 2016 to EUR 4.453 billion, while imports totalled EUR 5.211 billion, up by 9.5%, according to figures provided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR).

In the first 9 months of 2017, the trade deficit with agri-food products increased by 79.34% to EUR 757.34 million, while in the similar period last year it was of about EUR 422.27 million.

According to MADR figures, over 6.57 million tonnes of agri-food products were imported during this period, with exports being nearly twice as high at 9 months, of 11.85 million tonnes.

Statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture show that in the top of imports from EU and third countries dominate fresh and frozen meat with EUR 342.27 million (165,419 tonnes), pastries, bakery and biscuits – EUR 200.46 million (98,689 tonnes), food preparations – EUR 184.27 million (47,942 tonnes), wheat – EUR 166 million (1.021 million tonnes), and products used for animal feed – EUR 158.41 million (256,467 tonnes).

As far as exports are concerned, Romania continues to obtain the highest receipts from grain deliveries in intra-Community and extra-Community space, with wheat on the first position with a value of EUR 833.91 million and a quantity of 4.86 million tonnes. Cigars and cigarettes ranked second with EUR 514.48 million (37,480 tonnes), followed by rape seed – EUR 461.51 million (1.22 million tonnes), corn – EUR 384.313 million (1.69 million tonnes) and sunflower seeds – EUR 278.73 million (638,705 tonnes).

The EU remains the main partner in Romania’s agri-food trade.

2013 and 2014 are the only years when Romania registered surplus in the agri-food trade, of EUR 300 million and EUR 500 million respectively.