Looking specifically at agricultural products, potato imports exceeded 105 million kilograms, apples stood at 76,572 tonnes, with more than half, i.e. 39,765 tonnes, bought from Poland. In Romania, "the [apple] orchards have expanded, but Romanian apples, according to Mr Laurentiu Baciu, president of the League of Associations of Agricultural Producers in Romania, are mostly sold to make brandy. "We have tens of thousands of hectares of apples, but producers are bankrupt and have nowhere to sell their merchandise," he affirms.
The remaining fruit imports are normal, given that they are not grown in the country. Citrus is in fifth position. In the first five months of the year, Romanians purchased more than 126,000 tonnes of oranges, tangerines, grapefruit and lemons. They were brought from Greece, Turkey, Spain and Egypt, but also from Germany, Italy and France. Banana imports totalled 76,820 tonnes and come from France, Belgium and the Netherlands; in other words, imports don't already reach Romania directly.
Who are the biggest importers of food
The top 10 importers are four large retail chains, which justifies the large imports of potatoes from France and Germany, but also of pastries and bakery from Germany and Poland. At the same time, citrus fruits and bananas are imported indirectly via Germany and France, which are the countries of origin of the four retailers.
Source: jurnalul.ro
