Wheat output totaled 7.1 million tons in 2011, compared to 5.81 million tons in 2010, collected on a surface of 1.92 million hectares in 2011, compared to 2.16 million hectares in 2010. Thus, Romania placed fifth in the EU in terms of planted surface and wheat output and ninth in terms of grain yield.
Romania placed first in the EU by corn-planted surface and second by corn output, after France, due to lower output. Also, Romania’s corn output is lower compared to corn output in other EU countries, INS said.
Agriculture is one of the fields with a significant impact on the country’s gross domestic product. Last year’s economic growth of 2.5% was mainly backed by the evolution of agriculture, which saw an 11.3% increase, and by industry, which saw a 5% increase. The National Prognosis Commission estimates this year’s agricultural production will be as good as in 2011, contributing 1.7% to the country’s economic growth.
INS also said sunflower output was also on upward trend and rose to 1.8 million tons in 2011, compared to 1.2 million tons in 2010. However, sugar beet output fell 22.4%, to 650 tons, mainly due to a 13.6% decline in planted surface and a 10.2% decrease in output per hectare. Potato output rose 25.2% on the year in 2011, to 4.1 million tons, due to a 24.2% increase in output per hectare and a 0.8% increase in planted surface.
Romania ranks third in the EU by surface of potato-planted plots, after Poland and Germany, and sixth by output after Germany, Poland, The Netherlands, France and the United Kingdom, due to a lower output which accounted for only 55.8% of the EU’s average output.
Vegetable output saw a 6% increase on higher average outputs per hectare. Outputs were higher for tomatoes (+14.6%), carrots (+10.9%), onion (+7%), cabbage (+4.5%), pepper (+2.5%) and lower for green and yellow melons (-4.1%) and cucumbers (-1.7%). Orchard fruit output rose 1.5% on the year in 2011, the INS said.
The INS study was conducted on a representative sample at country level, development regions and counties. The sample volume was of 60,000 agricultural areas, of which 26,447 were set up as businesses and 33,553 owned by individual farmers. The confidence interval was of 95% with an error margin of ±5%).