This year, Romania will record its lowest corn production since 2007, and so far the soil drought has reduced the harvest by about 40%-50% compared to previous years, Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Petre Daea told Agerpres.

He added that the obtained products will ensure domestic consumption, there is also the possibility of export, while not specifying the total amount of corn per grain obtained in 2022.

“Maize has not been harvested in the entire area, but to date the average production is 3,000 kilograms per hectare, well below the average of normal years in Romania, when the crop produced 5 to 6 tons per hectare. It is the crop most affected by the drought, the production is much lower than in normal years, but it provides our domestic consumption and availability for export,” Daea said.

The agriculture minister said he would announce the exact amount received by farmers in 2022 “when the last amount of corn that will be harvested in the field is stored in the pantry,” but noted that this was the lowest corn production received in recent years since integration Romania to the European Union.

“I am not giving the total production, I have made it very clear, only when the last amount of maize that will be harvested in the field will be planted so that we can inform correctly. When the harvest is over, I will publish the exact amount that the farmers have received and that Romania can declare both in European statistics and to properly inform public opinion in the country. I can say in percentages: 40-50% less than in previous years. To what extent we will be at the European level, we will see at the end of the corn harvest. In any case, this is the lowest production of corn obtained in recent years since the integration into the European Union (EU), i.e. since 2007. The phenomenon of drought manifested itself not only at the level of Romania, it left its mark, unfortunately, on the production of many European countries. All European states are facing difficulties caused by drought. Climate change is a reality here, so we are also looking for solutions in this direction to support Romanian farmers,” said Petre Daea.

Regarding the total production of sunflower seeds, Daea emphasized that more than two million tons were obtained, which is twice the need of Romania.

“We received more than two million tons of sunflower, which is twice the consumer demand of Romania. This is about 70% of the normal production that can be obtained under the conditions of Romania,” he said.

Petre Daea: “We lost significant production of corn, sunflower and soybeans”

The representative of MADR noted that the 2021/2022 agricultural year was a difficult one, which put Romanian farmers to the test, in conditions where “drought has covered the whole country”.

“It was a very difficult year, a year that put Romanian farmers to the test, a year that led to a result that celebrates the work of farmers, as we were able to deliver the required amount of products to the country’s storehouses. so necessary for human consumption. Although I said that in very difficult conditions, because the soil drought covered the whole country, we were able to collect and save more than 9 million tons of wheat thanks to the work of farmers. This means that we ensure the necessary for domestic consumption and the availability for export, otherwise we can find that there is a quantity that has been taken out of the country and gone to traditional trade routes, knowing that many countries of the world and they are supplied with very high quality wheat from Romania” , – added Daea.

In his opinion, wheat suffered less than crops sown in the spring, and in irrigated areas and in areas that received rainfall, it was possible to save crops and get “the production that farmers were hoping for.”

“We lost significant production in corn, sunflower and soybean crops, knowing that we sow almost 6 million hectares in the spring. There was a drought throughout the country, and crops were saved only in irrigated perimeters and in areas where precipitation fell and where plants could continue growing, especially inside the Carpathian arc. There, spring crops were less affected, and some were not affected at all, and in the irrigated areas we were able to get the production that the farmers had hoped for and worked for. Here, production was supported by the possibility of irrigation and the state played an important role by providing free water for irrigation and energy consumption with a cost of 50% supported by the state,” explained the MADR chairman.

INS data for the past year

According to the data of the National Institute of Statistics (INS), last year Romania took the first place in the EU in terms of area, corn sown, as well as production, with 2.493 million hectares, respectively 14,820,693 tons, an increase of 4,724,004 tons compared to 2020 a year Average production last year was 5,802 t/ha, which is 1,825 t/ha more than in 2020. The domestic consumption of corn is estimated at approximately 7 million tons.

Regarding wheat, INS data shows that in 2021, Romania ranked fourth in the EU in terms of planted area as well as production, with 2.175 million hectares, respectively 10,433,751 tons. Compared to 2020, total production increased by 4,041,382 tons, and on average by 1,831 t/ha, amounting to 4,797 t/ha. The domestic consumption of wheat is estimated at 2.5 – 3 million tons.

In sunflower production, since 2015, Romania has consistently been the first in the European Union, but also in terms of planted area, and the export potential of seeds is significant, taking into account that the need for domestic consumption is only 750,000 tons.

Thus, in 2021, the total production of 2,843,531 tons was recorded, which is 720,666 tons more than in 2020, and the yield was 2,530 t/ha (+672 t/ha compared to the previous year).