ROMANIAN INTERNATIONAL MEAT TRADE – POST-ACCESSION EVOLUTIONS AND TRENDS

Abstract

The reforms after 1990 induced severe disruptions in the supply chains for animal products. The new private sector emerged and developed slowly, and the domestic production was unable to either replace efficiently the old supply chains, nor to satisfy the domestic demand. Imports increased gradually, especially for the most important types of meat included in the Romanian food consumption model - pork and chicken. Overall, in the last two decades, meat was by far the main imported agri-food product. The paper is analysing the evolution of the Romanian trade in beef, pork, chicken, sheep and goat meat, both with the EU and non-EU countries, in the post-accession years, as compared to the pre-accession period. Despite significant expansion of both exports and imports, mostly after EU accession, Romania remained a net importer for meat, and particularly for pork and chicken; but is a net exporter for sheep and goat meat.