First information on Romania’s maize production this year
Farmers have started to harvest the maize crops and this year's production will cover domestic demand, but "it will be available for export", said the Minister of Agriculture, Petre Daea while reporting to the Prime Minister.
"Of course we are at the beginning of the maize harvest, we are only at 7%, output is different from one county to another. This crop has been more affected [by drought] and we will be able to draw a conclusion when we pass 50 percent. However, we can ensure our domestic consumption, but we will be less present with this cereal (maize) for export, knowing that Romania is one of the countries with potential for cereal production in general, and obviously with a substantial contribution for export in the Black Sea basin, where we compete with the two flag countries, Russia and Ukraine", said the minister.
9 million tonnes of wheat – stored for domestic consumption and export
Petre Daea also emphasized that in the case of wheat, 9 million tons were stored, a quantity that will cover both domestic consumption and exports.
"At this time, we are covered in terms of grain crops and I say this because we have stored up to this date 9 million tons of wheat, which ensures domestic consumption and creates availability for export", the minister said.
He also reported the situation for sunflower, a crop that farmers have harvested in percentage of 45 percent. "Farmers have also moved on to harvesting spring crops, primarily sunflower, which at this date is 45 percent collected from the field and stored. Until this date, based on the situations we have, collected from the spot, it looks like we will have the necessary quantity of sunflower seeds to ensure, through processing, the domestic demand and some availability for export", he added.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR) reported that as of September 7, the total area notified as being affected by drought stands at 504,018 ha, communicated by 37 (out of 41) counties so far.
The main autumn crops affected:
· barley, spelt, oats, rye 29,518 ha
· wheat, triticale: 189,265 ha
· rapeseed: 26,719 ha
The main spring crops affected:
· maize 149,101 ha
· sunflower: 73,124 ha
· soybean 11,629 ha
· fodder plants 11,613 ha
Source: www.agrointel.ro, September 2022