60 I EUROPEAN SEED I EUROPEAN-SEED.COM ROMANIAN AGRICULTURE AND SEED INDUSTRY Romania has excellent soil and climate conditions for most crops. In Romania, climatic conditions allow for the multiplication of a large variety of seeds. The most important seed companies in Romania are providing growers with top genetic seeds for intensive agricultural production, focused and based on inno- vation. With regards to field crops and special reference to corn, the biggest seed companies are also present in the market. In the past decade, Romania has significantly increased economic performance and profitability in the agriculture sector. After a strong boost in the third quarter, mainly due to consumption, Romania’s GDP growth in 2017 was estimated at 7%. The agriculture sector is estimated to be 4-6% of the total GDP. Romania has 14.7 million ha of farmland, some 9 million hectares of arable land, around 1.8 million growers, the largest EU acreage in corn (around 2.5 million hectares) and they are in the top 5 in the European Union (EU) in cereals (around 2.6 million hectares). Romania could be the second largest producer of agricultural products in the Central Eastern European region; the biggest production in Romania is determined by crops (up to 70%), followed by animal production (± 30%) and agricul- tural services (± 1%). The main produced agriculture products are wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets, sunflower seed, potatoes, grapes, pork, poultry, milk, wool and eggs. 2017 has been an exceptional year for Romanian agriculture, with productions at unprecedented highs, including the coun- try registering the largest wheat production in history — over 10 million tonnes — which means an average of 4,836 kg/ha. Romania is the leader of sunflower production in the EU, with production of over 3.150 million tonnes. The farm structure in Romania is dominated by family farms, but their size is very small, with an average of 3.66 ha. This means Romania has the third smallest average farm size, only above Malta and Cyprus. Romania compared to all other EU Member States has an agriculture sector that is affected by high land fragmentation; almost 75% of farms in Romania are under two hectares. Farms with more than 1,000 hectares represent just 0.5% of the total number of farms but is exploiting 49% of the total arable land. In comparison with other EU countries, the number of middle sized farms with between 10 and 100 hectares is small. Out of 2.5 million hectares of corn, only 1.7 million hec- tares are cropped using certified seeds. The short-term outlook foresees a reduction in yield volatility, diversification of crop types and further investment in protein-based crops (peas, soybean) with the possibility for new crop segments to develop (mustard). Some challenges are related to poor infrastructure, regulatory challenges and lack of irrigation systems. In 2016, there were 133,000 hectares dedicated to seed multiplication, for cereals the use of 470 varieties, 140 techni- cal and oleaginous crops types and 62 plant type use in feed production. The Romanian seed industry is one of the most important factors in the country’s agriculture industry. Today, more than 15 companies are thriving in the country, with only one being a Romanian owned state company. In Romania, market volatility is associated with the yield profitability, commodity price and trade, but also the risks of specific crops. Some of the crops have known a major growth during the last number of years due to a good profitability, as winter oil seed rape registered nearly 30% annual growth com- pared to the previous year. Also, soybean is one of the most promising crops, while wheat is decreasing due to lower trad- ing prices and winter oil seed rape acreage allocation by the farmers. THE ROMANIAN SEED INDUSTRY ALLIANCE (AISR) AISR was founded in 2012 in Romania with the objective to repre- sent the seed industry and to promote the use of certified seeds. The association members represent 85% of the total seeds market, with 11 multinational seed companies present in Romania that produce and market high quality seeds adapted to local climatic conditions. The member companies of the AISR are: Advanta Seed; S.C. Bayer SRL, Caussade Semences Romania SRL., Euralis Seminte SRL., KWS Seminte S.R.L, Limagrain Central Europe SE, S.C. Maisadour Semences SRL, Monsanto Romania SRL., Pioneer Hi-Bred Romania SRL., RAGT Seminte, and Syngenta AGRO S.R.L. The association also has three honorary members, which include INCDA-Fundulea, PROCERA, and the Institutul de Fitotehnie PORUMBENI-Republic of Moldova. AISR has been a member of the French Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Romania (CCIFER) since 2017. AISR is an independent professional association with activities cover- ing different crops: winter crops, spring crops, vegetables, cere- als, feed, potatoes, sugar beet, oleaginous crops, corn, sorghum. Battling Counterfeit Seeds Group photo taken at the AISR meeting in January 2018. A CLOSE LOOK AT THE ROMANIAN SEED INDUSTRY. BY: AISR