Al Dahra Holding will exit Romania’s grain trading market in 2026, withdrawing from a sector with annual exports valued at about EUR 4 billion, Bloomberg reported on December 9, as cited by Ziarul Financiar. The company’s decision follows sustained pressure on international traders operating in the increasingly competitive Black Sea region.

“Al Dahra’s exit highlights a shift in market dynamics in one of the European Union’s top grain exporters. International traders were drawn to Romania after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which redirected trade flows in the region, with the port of Constanța becoming a key transit hub,” Bloomberg wrote. The publication noted that subsequent price declines have altered the market environment.

According to sources cited by Bloomberg, the United Arab Emirates-based agribusiness group intends to shut down its Romanian trading operations after three consecutive years of losses. 

Al Dahra Agriculture Romania, established in 2020, reported a 2024 loss of RON 22.2 million (EUR 4.4 million), Ministry of Finance data show. The company posted a smaller loss of RON 7.2 million (EUR 1.4 million) in 2023, while in 2022 its trading division recorded a loss of RON 94 million (EUR 18.6 million).

Despite the setbacks in trading, 2022 was the most profitable year for Agricost - Al Dahra’s farming arm - owing to strong grain production after the abundant 2021 harvest and elevated global prices triggered by the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. The trading division, however, remained loss-making.

In 2024, Al Dahra Agriculture Romania generated revenues of RON 1 billion (EUR 200 million).

The Emirati group entered the Romanian market in 2018 with the acquisition of Agricost from businessman Constantin Duluţe in a deal estimated at more than EUR 200 million. At the time, the company committed to investing USD 500 million in Romania.

Sources told Bloomberg that Al Dahra will maintain its grain production and fertiliser distribution activities in Romania. In addition to operating Agricost, the group manages a joint venture with Morocco’s OCP SA to supply fertiliser to Romanian farmers.

iulian@romania-insider.com

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