PM Orban: Romania has registered trade deficit on agricultural products of 1.2 bln euros in first 7 months

Romania has registered, in the first seven months, a trade deficit related to agricultural products of 1.2 billion euros, and the issue of the deficit is not the only one but also that of the structure of imports and exports, said on Wednesday, Prime Minister Ludovic Orban. 

"The contribution of agriculture to GDP is 4.8 percent and we consider that this contribution to GDP, taking into account the fact that Romania is one of the countries with the greatest agricultural potential, we are as the sixth country (of the EU, ed. n.) in terms of agricultural area, has to grow. Moreover, according to data from the INS [National Institute of Statistics], we continue to register a trade deficit on agricultural products, for the current year, over 7 months, of 1.2 billion euros and there isn't only the problem of the deficit but also of the structure of imports and exports. We continue to export about 70 percent bulk cereals or live stock, agricultural products that have no value added but are simply primary products. In the structure of imports we see that it is dominated by processed products," said Orban. 

He said that one of our objectives at European Union level is to obtain payments per hectare that will increase the competitiveness of Romanian agriculture. 

"Romania benefits from significant financial support from the EU budget. On the one hand, the payments per hectare are small compared to the payments granted per hectare in other countries. One of our objectives at the level of the European Union is to achieve some payments per hectare to increase the competitiveness of Romanian agriculture. On the other hand, the mere increase of payments per hectare cannot radically change the structure of agricultural production, and here, through the National Strategic Plan, we will have to negotiate the allocation of resources for achieving objectives related to zootechnical development, to the increase of the raw materials processing degree, of the primary products in agriculture, so that we support any private initiative that aims to achieve these capacities that can develop the agricultural production both quantitatively and qualitatively, as well as the agricultural contribution to the realization of the gross domestic product," said Orban. 

The Prime Minister attended on Wednesday the taking of the oath of office of Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nechita-Adrian Oros.