This area grew from 17,438 hectares in the year 2000 to 260,000 hectares in 2010. Cereals, which account for the largest share of ecological production – 34.49%, also registered the largest increase by area. Cereals are followed by weeds (31.32%), oleaginous plants (17.66%), pastures and fodder (14.9%), vineyards and orchards (1.26%) and vegetables (0.3%), according to a press release by Unilever Food Solutions, citing Agriculture Ministry data.
The number of ecologically-farmed animals has also grown significantly since 2005, especially sheep and goats (42,000 heads in 2010). The number of eco-farming product processors has also increased in the last four years to 84, from 36 in 2006.
In February 2011, there were 1850 registered organic producers, according to the press release, plus 780 beekeepers. In addition, there were 84 processors using the products of Romanian ecological agriculture (Snack Attack, Carrefour, Real Hypermarket etc.). There were also 17 importers of products resulting from Romanian sustainable farming, as well as 22 exporters.
Unilever Food Solutions is a branch of Unilever dedicated to professional chefs. The company on Tuesday launched Romania’s first transparency campaign, providing information on product origin, creation process and sustainable agriculture.
The company pointed out that Romania’s land is among the most fertile and ecologic in Europe. The three million hectares of uncultivated land and the two million small farms could be converted into ecological agriculture companies, making Romania one of the world’s major producers, seeing as the state assists production and processing through subsidies.
Romania’s exports of organic products reached a record EUR100 million last year. Romania exports most of the local organic production generally to European countries, where it is processed to be sold as finite products. The main export destinations are Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK and the Nordic states.