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Agriculture: Romania’s corn yield exceeded 14.5 million tons in 2017, 6 tons per hectare
Romania’s corn yield exceeded 14.5 million tons this year, the average yield obtained being 6 tons per hectare, according to the minister of agriculture and rural development, Petre Daea.
According to statistic data published on MADR site, the overall corn yield grew this year by 45%, compared to 2016, when ut was a little over 10 million tons, that is 4 tons per hectare, and to the record yield of 11.3 million tons in 2014. In 2004 the yield was 4.48 tons per hectare.
In 2015, Romania reported an overall corn yield of 8.86 million tons and an average of 3.5 tons per hectare.
In the last ten years, the area of corn crops extended between 2.3 and 2.7 million hectares, with a single year, 2010, when the area did not exceed 2.1 million hectares ay national level.
Romania’s domestic need of corn is 4.5 million tons, which offers significant export possibilities, corn being one of the produce in the top of Romania’s commercial exchanges with foodstuff, after wheat. In the first 8 months of this year alone, 1.426 million tons of corn worth 338.2 million euros were exported to EU and non EU countries.
However, the minister of agriculture has often said that Romania should use the corn obtained to feed animals, thus reducing raw material exports and increase processed products with VAT.
According to Daea, Romania registered this year historic records for nine farm yields, 2017 being an exceptional, unprecedented year with historic yields not obtained until now, for wheat, rape, pea, oat and sunflower.
With the corn yield obtained this year, Romania could be the largest producer in EU, after having occupied the first position only for the cultivated area in the last years and second place for yield, after France.
According to data of the National Statistic Institute, Romania was in 2016, the largest sunflower producer and ranked 5th for wheat. This year it could rank first in Europe with corn yields - 14.5 million tons- and sunflower with a record of 3.167 million tons.