Romania prepares for record sunflower crop but much of it is exported raw

Romania will register a record sunflower production this year, 1.22 million tons higher compared with 2020. However, the lack of processing units in the country leads to the sale of raw materials to European Union countries as well as outside the EU, say the representatives of the Romanian Farmers Club.

Romania is expected to reach a sunflower seed production of 3.3 million tons this year, representing about a third of the EU’s total output. Only about 1.2-1.3 million tons are processed locally for domestic consumption while the rest is exported to countries such as Bulgaria, Turkey, Hungary, as well as to Western Europe and Asia, explained Cezar Gheorghe, consultant of the Romanian Farmers Club and expert analyst in the grain trade, Agerpres reported.

The organization highlights that the Romanian authorities need to come up with policies to increase the added value in agriculture, much of which is currently lost through the export of raw materials.

Raw sunflower seeds sell for about USD 535 per ton compared with a potential value of USD 1,570 per ton that could be achieved from the sale of processed products, according to the organization’s experts.

To increase the added value in agriculture, Romania should stimulate financing for investments in crop storage and processing units, offer fiscal facilities for the processing activity and try to export processed products in the markets where it now sells raw materials, the Romanian Farmers Club proposes.

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