DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ROMANIAN AND EUROPEAN AGRICULTURE

Abstract

Romania is one of the European countries with the highest potential in the agricultural sector, having the sixth largest agricultural area used among EU countries. Romania suffers from the most serious problem of fragmentation of agricultural property among all countries of the European Union and has an average holding size similar to Malta or Cyprus, island countries. Although most of the cultivated area is used for cereals, they generate less than 25% from the total agricultural production value. Although the contribution of agriculture to GDP is decreasing, Romania still has the largest share of the agricultural sector in the GDP structure of all EU countries, of three and a half times higher than the European average. If we take into account the Gross Added Value per hectare, Romania is also in one of the last positions. However, Romania's agricultural potential is large, and agriculture can play an important economic role in the future.