With a record amount of 331.7 million tons of cereals (including rice) harvested in 2014 across the EU bloc, Romania was the fifth largest cereal producer with 22.1 million tons, according to data from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.
France remained by far the largest producer of cereals with 72.7 million t, followed by Germany (52.0 million t), Poland (31.9 million t) and the United Kingdom (24.5 million t). Romania surpassed Spain (20.6 million t), Italy (19.4 million t) and Hungary (16.5 million t). In terms of value, cereals represent 13 percent of total agricultural output in the EU and account for 25 percent of EU crop production.
Romania’s production was 39.1 percent above the average over the period 2000-2012. Across the EU, cereal production was 15.2 percent higher in 2014, although cultivation area dropped by 5 percent.
In terms of animal breeding, Romania was third among EU members for sheep rearing with 9.5 million animals (11 percent on the EU total), ninth for pig breeding with 5.04 million animals (3.4 percent of total) and tenth for cattle with 2.06 million animals (2.3 percent).
For sheep the UK was in the lead, with 22.9 million animals, Germany took the lead with pigs’ husbandry (28.3 million) and France bred the most cattle, with 19.2 million animals.
In terms of value, pigs, cattle and sheep represent 17 percent of total agricultural output in the EU and account for 42 percent of animal production. In Terms of countries contributing most to the EU’s agriculture production France takes first place (18 percent of the EU total), followed by Germany (14 percent), Italy (13 percent), Spain (10 percent), UK (8 percent), the Netherlands (7 percent) and Poland (5 percent).
Natalia Martian