Processing remains the main weak point of Romanian agriculture from the perspective of added value. According to Eurostat and INS data, in the 2024–2025 period the share of processed agri-food products in Romania’s exports remained significantly below the European Union average, despite the increase in raw material volumes.

This structure limits the sector’s ability to transform agricultural production into stable revenues. The gross value added generated by processing is several times higher than that obtained from the sale of raw materials, yet investments in processing capacities have been fragmented and insufficiently correlated with local production.

From an economic perspective, the problem is not only the lack of processing units, but also their size and level of integration. Many investments made in the 2020–2024 period were undersized or oriented toward limited niches, without consistent access to raw materials. Data from MADR indicate underutilization of some new facilities due to unstable contracts with farmers.

For 2026, processing must be analyzed as a strategic element, not as an administrative extension of production. Without integration along the value chain and without alignment between farmers and processors, the loss of value will remain structural.

(Photo: Freepik)