Romania, the first place in the EU in honey production

By Andra Beltz
Romania ranks second in the European Union, after Spain, as the number of bee families and the first place in honey production, said Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Petre Daea on Saturday.
“In recent years, the beekeeping sector in Romania has experienced significant growth due to financial support programs from the EU or national budget. We are now in the second place in the European Union after Spain as the number of families the beekeepers, and the first to the honey production.With the funding programs, beekeepers were able to purchase certified biological material, modern beekeeping equipment to obtain competitive products both on the domestic and export markets, “said Petre Daea.
He noted that bees provide an essential service for modern agriculture and that they are responsible for polluting three-quarters of the main food crops.
The Minister of Agriculture noted that Romania is paying particular attention to the beekeeping sector from the point of view of agriculture, plant protection and sustainable agriculture, as bees have a great impact on the ecological balance. At the same time, it is intended to ensure the integrated operation of all sectors but also to support the support, research, innovation and education programs for the beekeeping sector in order to ensure that beekeeping continues to be part of agricultural production.
Romania produces an average of 22,000 tonnes of honey annually and the herds reach a peak of 1,47 million bee families in 2015.
At national level, some 40,000 beekeepers are registered, over 60% of whom are members of the Bee Farmers Association (ACA), with a staff of 900,000 bee families.
According to ACA data, in the past 2-3 years, honey consumption has grown by 15% to 550 grams per inhabitant per year. Statistical data shows that Romanians consume 3-4 times less honey compared to the two pounds consumed in Germany or 1.5 kilograms in the Netherlands and Belgium.