Agriculture contributes 5 pc to GDP in 2009

The agricultural sector could contribute approximately 5 per cent to the GDP in 2009 if we consider the production levels registered until now and the estimates for those set to be registered this autumn. According to Agriculture Minister Ilie Sarbu, the agricultural sector's exact contribution to the GDP will not be known earlier than Q1 of next year. 'For now we cannot say precisely what will be the agricultural sector's contribution to the GDP in 2009, but with this year's wheat harvest at 5.2 million tons and with the harvests of corn and sunflower soon to be added to that, I estimate that the agriculture will contribute at least 5 per cent to the GDP,' Sarbu stated for Agerpres. Last year the agricultural sector's contribution to the GDP stood at 7.1 per cent. According to the data recently presented by the Agriculture Minister, the wheat production totals 5.228 million tons this year, to which one has to add one million tons of wheat stored in the population's households. The Agriculture Minister underlined that the 2009 harvest is enough to cover the internal consumption and that we shouldn't resort to imports despite the fact that the harvest's quality is not exactly known. The internal demand for wheat stands at 3 million tons (250,000 tons per month), with another 500,000 tons of wheat set to be used as sowing seeds. Nevertheless, not everybody is as optimistic. Adrian Radulescu, the president of the League of Agricultural Producers in Romania (LAPAR), has recently stated that this year's wheat harvest did not surpass four million tons despite the fact that the Agriculture Ministry officials have announced a production of 5.2 million tons. 'From our data this year we have harvested around four million tons of wheat from 1.85 million hectares, with the average production at 2,100 kilograms per hectare,' Radulescu stated. According to the MAPDR data, in 2009 approximately 38 per cent of the agricultural land cultivated with wheat was affected by drought, with another 2.62 per cent being affected by other risk factors.

In 2008 the total production of cereals in Romania surpassed 17 million tons, being two times larger than the production registered the year before (7.814 million tons). However the economic crisis could reduce the consumption and the harvest, even the one from lands affected by drought, could become sufficient, Daniel Botanoiu, general director within the Ministry of Agriculture, stated.

Meanwhile, as part of the 'First Silo' program, the Agriculture Ministry has offered the first licenses for the storage of consumption seeds to eight units with a total storage capacity of 185,620 tons. 'I believe that (the agricultural producers - editor's note) will use the storage certificates because we are able to offer an ever decreasing number of forms of support during this period since we are 100 per cent integrated into the European agricultural policy,' Agriculture Minister Ilie Sarbu stated. With the certificate the farmers can benefit from a state-guaranteed bank loan, with six banks being already interested in offering the credits.

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