Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Kuwait bought 43% of Romania's barley harvest last year within four months (July-October) to secure raw material for herds of racing horses.

The business amounted to 784,000 tonnes and brought EUR 129 million to the local traders who passed most of the revenue to farmers.

"Barley is the most important element in feeding horses. Nutrition is based on a recipe that combines barley and oats, among others, but barley has an 85% part. The Arabs buy cheap barely from us and then processes it as animal feed," says the horse breeder Ana-Maria Duguleac, representative of the Mogosoaia Equestrian Academy, cited by local Ziarul Financiar.

Economies such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Kuwait have small herds of horses, but invest tens of millions of dollars annually in raising race horses and those used in sport competitions.

editor@romania-insider.com