Romania’s agri-food foreign trade reflects the dominant structure of its agricultural sector: extensive crop production largely oriented toward the export of raw materials. According to data from Eurostat and the European Commission, cereals—especially wheat and maize—represent a major component of Romania’s agricultural exports.

In recent years, Romania has consistently ranked among the leading wheat exporters in the European Union, while the Port of Constanța has become one of the most important logistical hubs for grain trade in the Black Sea region. The country’s geographical position, port capacity and high agricultural output from its farming regions have reinforced this strategic role.

However, the structure of exports remains dominated by primary products. Compared with Western European countries, where the food industry makes a significant contribution to exports, Romania exports a large proportion of agricultural raw materials and imports a substantial share of processed food products.

This structure reflects a relatively low level of integration within the agri-food value chain. Limited domestic processing reduces the economy’s capacity to capture the value added generated by agricultural production. In countries with developed food industries, the transformation of cereals and other raw materials into processed products allows the multiplication of economic value and the stabilization of revenues.

For Romanian agriculture, the challenge is not only maintaining production volumes, but also transforming these volumes into higher economic value. The development of the food industry, investments in processing capacity, and the integration of farmers into commercial supply chains could contribute to reducing the gap between the country’s agricultural potential and the value added generated within the economy.

(Photo: Freepik)