Romania's fruit and vegetable crops severely hit by adverse weather
<p>Fruit and vegetable producers are calling for urgent state intervention after recent episodes of severe frost destroyed large swathes of Romania's horticultural output, according to <a href="https://www.zf.ro/companii/retail-agrobusiness/producatorii-fructe-legume-afectati-ger-cer-despagubiri-22776082?mc_cid=51efed1c13&amp;mc_eid=cd1f92f96c" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Ziarul Financiar,</a> quoting a message of the Association of Agricultural Producer Groups and Organisations "Fruleg-Ro."</p>

<p>Their message indicates that food and vegetable imports and prices will rise this year, with a significant impact on inflation and trade deficit.</p>

<p>The "Fruleg-Ro" association, which includes the 50 largest national cooperatives, warned that extreme weather between late February and April has led to a near-total crop failure, with devastating implications for the industry and rural employment.</p>

<p>Romania cultivates fruits on over 140,000 hectares and vegetables on 93,000 hectares. Annually, these sectors yield 1.4 million tons of fruits and 2.3 million tons of vegetables.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Fruleg-Ro warned that without compensation, the impact of this year's losses could be irreversible, citing the long-term consequences of orchard abandonment.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"An abandoned orchard, to which specific conservation works are not applied, has minimal chances of recovery, even in a subsequent favourable meteorological context," the association said.</p>

<p>Romania is already dependent on imports for a significant portion of its fruit and vegetable consumption, with 40% of fruits and 25% of vegetables sourced from abroad. In 2023, fruit imports reached 915,000 tons, valued at EUR 940 million, with key suppliers including Turkey, Greece, Germany, and Poland.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Fruleg-Ro cautions that without government assistance, the import reliance will deepen further, undermining Romania's food and economic security.</p>

<p><em>iulian@romania-insider.com</em></p>

<p><em>(Photo source:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dreamstime.com/photo31uriy_info">Yuriy Nevmerzhitskii</a>/<a href="https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photos">Dreamstime.com</a>)</em></p>