“Some farmers realized they could no longer cope with the demands of the business environment on their own, and as an association it becomes easier to access certain funds – either European or governmental, and also enter other markets,” says Gabriel Dan Ieremia, EU funds consultant.
“Financial capability, working technique, number of employees, revenue and company profitability matter.”
The ten largest agricultural cooperatives in Romania posted 835 million lei (EUR177 million) revenue in 2018 or 64% of the revenue of all farmers’ co-ops in Romania last year, ZF has calculated from Trade Register data. The leading agricultural cooperative is Cooperativa Agricola Integrata Tara Mea, established by German-held retailer Kaufland in 2015, which has about 350 farmers as members.
There are more than 1,400 agricultural cooperatives in Romania at the moment, according to Agriculture Ministry and Trade Register data.
The total revenue of the agricultural cooperatives in the country reached RON1.3 billion in 2018, 29% more than in 2017.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)