Romanian walnut production boosted by EU funding

Demand for nuts continues to rise in Romania on the back of increased consumption, as consumers are adopting healthier eating habits and incorporating them more into their diet throughout the year. Nuts are eaten fresh as a snack, but are also regularly used during baking or cooking.

Romania is the second largest walnut producer in the EU, after France, and the tenth largest producer worldwide. Walnut consumption is steady throughout the year in Romania, however, popularity peaks during the winter months, along with religious holidays such as Easter and Christmas.

Walnut production has been growing steadily during the past few years, and according to a recent USDA report, there were 1.76 million walnut trees in Romania, producing almost 32,500 MT of walnuts in 2015.

Production has been on the rise after EU funding became available, which has boosted interest in growing walnuts. This can also been seen in the increasing number of tree nut exports, which grew from 5,746 MT in 2011 to 8,881 MT in 2015. Walnut exports made up 94% of the total tree nut exports.