Romania became overnight the European leader in the export of cereals, mainly wheat, barley, soybeans, and sunflower oil.
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With Ukraine’s grain stuck in ports and silos, and Russia’s exports stopped, the countries that depended on these goods were reoriented.
“It is an opportunity for us,” said the agriculture minister, who gave assurances that we have enough reserves, and only the surplus goes to export.
From the day the war began, on February 24, the price of wheat on international stock markets exploded and reached a historic level.
Thus, the intermediaries on the grain market knew that it was a good time to make a profit. So they bought grain from Romanian farmers who kept it in silos.
Daniel Radu, farmer: ” They called us and told us, look, we have a good price and if you want to sell the cereals you have in stock. And each farmer decided whether to sell or not. This is a very good time. due to the increase in cereal prices we can compensate and recover from the expenses with fertilizers, pesticides, diesel. This has never happened since I started farming in 2010. For the prices to be so high, to increase by 60.70% “
Victor Beznea, ARCPA Secretary General: ” Prices with extreme volatility. That is, increases and decreases with very large amplitudes. 20.30 euros, sometimes on the same day. Which I haven’t seen in my entire career. On the same day to have such fluctuations “.
With a record production of over 11 million tons of wheat last year, Romania has quickly become a supplier for grain-deficient countries.
In the last two weeks, Romania has exported almost 180 thousand tons of wheat and has thus become the main exporter in the European Union. Last year, in the same period, we fluctuated between the 5th and 7th place among the countries that gave wheat for export, with a quantity of 62 thousand 800 tons. That is almost three times less.
Romania has also become important in the export of barley. Since the beginning of the month, almost 48,000 tons have left our country for the states outside the community bloc. We thus rank second among European countries that have exported barley in the last two weeks. After France, with over 92 thousand tons.
It is Romania’s chance to stand out as a large grain-producing country, says the Minister of Agriculture, who gives assurances that we have enough goods for domestic consumption, but also in the state’s emergency reserves.
Adrian Chesnoiu, Ministry of Agriculture: “We have insured domestic consumption, and the surplus may go to other states.”
In the first two weeks after the beginning of the war, Romania was also the largest exporter of soybeans and sunflower oil.
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