Farmers expect 4.8 mln tonnes of wheat crop this year

Romanian farmers expect to harvest 4.8 million tonnes of wheat this year, which is close to the quantity reported by the authorities last year, i.e. five million tonnes.

The balance from last year's crop is due to a smaller area sown to wheat by 200,000 hectares, which means however that this year's average production per hectare will be bigger. At an average price of 110 euros per hectare, the value of the wheat market will pass half a billion euros, according to calculations by Ziarul financiar daily.

'The weather was fine, but 50 percent of the wheat-sown area did not receive a sufficient quantity of fertilizers for a higher production. In 2009, the crops were hit by calamity, but this year the production is small due to the lack of money for fertilizers. The total quantity could rise by some 400,000-500,000 tonnes if fertilizers were used at least as late as now. Last year, even though the ministry announced that the total wheat crop was five million tonnes, we actually obtained just four million tonnes, with the remainder being fodder wheat', Viorel Matei, the chairman of the Romanian Farm Producers National Federation told the daily.

In terms of the cultivated area, Romania ranks fourth in Europe, on the same spot with Britain, after France (5.1 mln hectares), Germany (3.2 mln hectares) and Poland (2.3 mln hectares). Nevertheless, the yield per hectare at 2.4 tonnes is less than half the European Union average.