Why Romanian Farmers Go Bankrupt: Romania Is the Second-Largest Importer of Ukrainian Wheat

According to Ukrainian agricultural media, Romania is the second-largest wheat importer from Ukraine after Turkey.

This happens while the Romanian and Bulgarian farmers are blocking roads and borders in protests against the European Union against the policy of allowing Ukrainian grain exports to flood the EU without any taxes.

The main buyer of Ukrainian wheat is Turkey with a 20% share of the total exports. Turkey is the main coordinator of the grain deal. Romania and Poland, with shares of 16% and 7% respectively, are the second and fourth biggest wheat importers. These countries actively oppose uncontrolled imports of Ukrainian grain.

UkrAgroConsult

According to recent studies, Romania is the largest bread-consuming market in Europe, and cereals are crucial to the country’s agriculture. Even if one of the largest wheat producers and exporters in Europe, Romania imports a lot of grains from other countries.

According to the Romanian farmers, the wheat from Ukraine is cheaper and lower in quality, as it is poisoned with pesticides.

More than that, Romania hosts European events in Bucharest dedicated to Ukrainian agricultural exports. Between April 26 and 28, the European Spring Grain Exchange will be hosted in Bucharest.

Romania is way behind Hungary and Poland in terms of protecting its farmers. These two countries perfectly understood the danger of allowing the Ukrainian grain to flood their country and forbid them altogether. Romanian Opposition tried to sack the Minister of Agriculture, but it failed, as the simple motion was rejected in Parliament this week.

Socialists and Liberals form the governing coalition in Romania, which is stable and offers stability to the Government. Decisions are taken without consulting the population or the business owners, and this is the result: an entire industry is about to collapse, and the Government is more eager to please the European Union than defend its agriculture.

Either way, the help Romania offers Ukraine is secret, as the Foreign Minister refuses to comment when asked by the BBC journalist during Hard Talks show. It is proof that transparency might have been the best way for a country which makes its business owners, small and medium farmers, and agricultural entrepreneurs suffer. At the same time, their European colleagues are defended by their governments.