Romania ranks 1st in EU in 2019 in cultivated area and maize and sunflower production, according to INS

Romania ranked first in 2019 among the EU member states in terms of the cultivated area and the production of maize and sunflower, the National Institute of Statistics (INS) informed on Tuesday.

In wheat, Romania ranked fourth, both in terms of the cultivated area and production, after France, Germany and Poland. In potatoes, it came in fourth as regards the cultivated area, after Poland, Germany, France and on the seventh place in terms of production, after Germany, France, Poland, Holland, United Kingdom and Belgium.

According to the INS data, the area cultivated in 2019, compared with the previous year, grew in cereals for grains, oil plants and potatoes, and it decreased in grain legumes and vegetables.

Vegetable production increased in 2019, compared to 2018, for grain legumes and decreased for cereals for grains, oil plants, potatoes and vegetables.

Thus, the area cultivated with cereals for grains increased by 3.3 per cent, while the production decreased by 6.5 per cent, compared with the previous year, mainly due to the drop in yields per hectare (average production per hectare). The area cultivated with maize in 2019 represented 47.9 per cent of that cultivated with cereals for grains, and the area cultivated with wheat 38.8 per cent. Cereal production fell mainly due to a 9.2 per cent drop in maize production.

In what concerns grain legumes, the production increased by 27.7 per cent, as a result of the increase in the yield per hectare, compared with the previous year.

Oil plants products decreased by 9.0 per cent, although the cultivated area increased by + 3.4 per cent. Production increases were recorded in sunflower (+ 12.6 per cent), and decreases in rapeseed (-47.1 per cent) and soy beans (-20.6 per cent).

The area cultivated with potatoes increased by 0.6 per cent, and the production decreased by 10.2 per cent, against the previous year. Vegetable production decreased by 7.9 per cent, as a result of both the decrease of the cultivated area and the yield per hectare, compared with the previous year.

The INS data also show that in 2019, grape production decreased by 15 per cent, as a result of the decrease in yield per hectare by 15.5 per cent, compared with the previous year.

Fruit production in orchards went down 10.7 per cent, due to the decrease in the yield per hectare, compared with the previous year.