Record production of wheat and sunflower in Romania

By Andra Beltz
Romania obtains this year a wheat production of over 11.33 million tons, being the largest harvest since the country’s accession to the European Union, the representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR) announced on Wednesday.
Until August 16, 2020, 98.54% of the area sown with wheat in 2020/2021, of about 2.2 million hectares, was harvested.
Last year, Romania obtained only 6.4 million tons of wheat, the harvest being reduced by over 40% due to drought. The best years from 2007 until now, according to data transmitted by MADR, are 2017, with 10.03 million tons of wheat, 2018 – 10.14 million tons and 2019 – 10.29 million tons.
The “exceptional” rating for the 2021 agricultural harvest granted to Romania by GEOGLAM (Group on Earth Observations Global Agricultural Monitoring Initiative) is confirmed by the results obtained by Romanian farmers. Romanian farmers in the leading position are: wheat, barley and rapeseed According to operative data from August 16, 2021, the total wheat production harvested is 11.33 million tons, being the highest production recorded since the accession of Romania to the European Union “, MADR transmits in a communiqué sent to AGERPRES.
Also, the total barley production is in 2021 at a record level of 1.88 million tons, the highest since 2007. And in the case of this crop, the years 2017, 2018 and 2019 were the best, given that barley production exceeded 1.26 million tonnes.
“The other cereals – rye, triticale, barley, oats, millet, buckwheat, etc. – also had good yields, so that the total production of cereals to date exceeds 15 million tons,” said MADR representatives.
Rapeseed in 2021 recorded the highest average production per hectare (3,022 kg/ha) since 2007 and until now, due to the varieties used, the application of adequate technology and favorable agro-meteorological conditions. In 2016, the average per hectare was 2,835 kg / ha, and last year 2,124 kg / ha. The ministry did not provide data on total rapeseed production.
According to MADR data provided at the end of June, in the agricultural year 2020/2021, a total area of almost 8 million ha was sown with agricultural crops, of which 3.107 million ha in autumn 2020 and 4.874 million ha in spring. Although the area scheduled for sowing in the spring of 2021 was 5.4 million ha, only 90.12% of this area was achieved.
The area sown in autumn was 3.107 million hectares, of which the most important crops were: 2.2 million with wheat, 321,912 hectares with barley and over 430,000 hectares with rapeseed.
This year, Romania registers a maximum of sunflower production, with an increase of approximately 1.22 million tons compared to 2020, but the lack of processing units at the national level leads to the sale of raw materials to European Union countries and not only, say the representatives of the Romanian Farmers Club.
According to a press release of the organization, Romania needs to ensure policies that support the increase of added value in agriculture, one of the objectives being to stimulate the amount of storage and processing of cereals and oil plants.
The centralized data reveal that the area cultivated with sunflower in Romania represents 27.3% of the total area of the European Union. Thus, compared to France, one of the countries with the largest agricultural area in Europe, which this year sowed about 660,000 hectares, Romania has one of the best agricultural yields specific to this crop.
Also, in 2020, our country reported a significant deficit in sunflower production, respectively 820,000 tons compared to 2019, which subsequently generated changes in prices for major agri-food products and more.