Bucharest, April 19, 2026 – RBJ – After more than 30 years, our country will resume agri-food exports to China. The Chinese customs authority announced that eligible Romanian producers will be able to export a wide range of products, including milk, cheese, powdered milk, whey and infant formulas, provided that they comply with the sanitary standards imposed by Beijing, according to Bloomberg.
Yesterday, China confirmed Romania’s access to the dairy market, a $70 billion market. The procedures for the export of processed products, fish, cereals and pork will continue to be regulated.
The decision comes in the context of strengthening agricultural trade relations between the two countries and creates the premises for expanding Romanian exports on one of the largest global dairy markets, but the actual impact will depend on the ability of producers to meet certification requirements and maintain constant volumes for export.
In mid-March, the Minister of Agriculture, Florin Barbu, who was in China, announced the signing, together with his counterpart, Han Jun, of an MoU on the resumption of the export of Romanian agri-food products to the Chinese market.
In the first stage, qualified Romanian producers can deliver a wide range of dairy products: cheeses, powdered milk, whey products and infant formula, made from cow, sheep or goat milk, which meet Chinese food safety standards. Chinese experts have already tested the Romanian products and validated their quality, both on the dairy and poultry markets.
For heat-treated poultry, the heat treatment condition is a standard sanitary requirement of China, which reduces the risks related to avian diseases. Romania has significant poultry industrial capacities, with slaughterhouses and processing plants at European standards.
Wild aquatic products — fish and seafood from the catch — will be accepted on the Chinese market. Romania has access to the Danube, the Danube Delta and the Black Sea, resources with real potential for this category, given that China is the world’s largest importer of aquatic products.
Romania is at an advanced stage of preparing documents for the export of cereals and processed pork products, with cereal exports set to begin in a maximum of two months.
Cereals represent perhaps the greatest strategic potential. Romania exports tens of millions of tons of wheat, corn and barley annually, but almost exclusively to Europe. Access to the Chinese market, the world’s largest importer of cereals, would dramatically diversify export destinations and reduce dependence on volatile European prices.
Processed pork completes the picture, all the more relevant as Romania is currently building the largest pig slaughterhouse in southeastern Europe and is recording investments of 2 billion euros in processing plants.
Romanian companies are to register on a platform managed by the Romanian Sanitary and Veterinary Authority (ANSVA), after which they can establish direct commercial relations with Chinese partners. The platform will be announced by the Romanian state to all processing companies in Romania. Some companies have already started preliminary discussions for exports.
