Radio România Internațional

Tag: cereals

  • Romania supports Ukraine

    Romania supports Ukraine

    The Romanian Defense Minister, Angel Tîlvăr, on Tuesday had the first conversation of this year, via video conference, with his Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov. The two discussed the evolution of Russia’s war of aggression against neighboring Ukraine, almost two years after the outbreak of the conflict. According to a Defense Ministry communique, the officials discussed the status and perspectives of the main topics of bilateral interest. Angel Tîlvăr assured his Ukrainian counterpart that Romania remains committed both within the European Unions EUMAM Ukraine mission (EU Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine) and within Great Britains INTERFLEX operation. I told Minister Umerov that Romania condemns in the harshest terms the Russian aggression, the attacks on the Ukrainian population and civil infrastructure, actions that have intensified in recent weeks, and I assured him that Romania continues to support Ukraine, alongside allies and partners, said Angel Tîlvăr, according to the communique.



    In this context, the two officials discussed concrete measures to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the field of defense, with focus on the importance of training Romanian and Ukrainian pilots at the European F-16 Training Center in Romania. The center was inaugurated in Feteşti (south-east) at the end of last year and can train both Romanian pilots and those from allied and partner countries, including Ukraine. In fact, President Volodymyr Zelenski announced at the end of the official visit he paid to Romania last October that Ukraine had obtained important agreements, including regarding the military support that Bucharest will continue to offer to Kyiv. In addition, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmitro Kuleba, repeatedly thanked Bucharest, including for the military aid, which President Klaus Iohannis himself labeled as “important military support”.



    However, it should be mentioned, that, in support of Ukraine, Romania emphasized the humanitarian dimension, the granting of medical assistance and air medical evacuation actions to other states for the injured Ukrainian patients. Since the beginning of the war, Romania facilitated the transfer of humanitarian aid and the operationalization of a HUB in Suceava (north). Moreover, even from the first days of the war, Romania announced that it had prepared hospitals to provide care and treatment for wounded Ukrainian soldiers. Romania also took steps to facilitate, during these two years of war, the transit of tens of millions of tons of cereals from neighboring Ukraine to the areas where they were needed. Last but not least, Bucharest is a firm supporter of the European path of both Kyiv and Chisinau, support that materialized last December in the opening of the EU accession negotiations for the two states. (LS)

  • Romania has enough cereals to cover its domestic demand

    Romania has enough cereals to cover its domestic demand

    With 300 thousand hectares affected by drought out of its 7 million cultivated with cereals, authorities in Romania are carefully assessing the situation to be able to cope even with the worst-case scenarios. Last year Romania reported record high harvests of 11.3 million tons of wheat but bad weather conditions this year have wreaked havoc on the crops and so have the higher production costs.


    This years harvest is lower by 15-18% than in 2021, Romanias Agriculture Minister Petre Daea has admitted.


    Petre Daea: “Parts of the entire quantity of cereals harvested will be stored in depots and storehouses, other parts will be delivered to processing plants so that they may turn the grain into flour, others will be dispatched to bakeries and processing plants to meet the domestic demand and of course well see what quantities we can export.”


    According to Minister Daea there is enough wheat to cover Romanias domestic needs estimated somewhere around 2.5 – 3 million tons and there is also a surplus, which can be exported. Although the quantity is lower than last year, the grain quality is superior; Minister Daea went on to say.


    According to the latest data released, the extremely hot temperatures of late and the prolonged drought have affected crops in three quarters of Romanias counties. The most affected proved to be the corn and sunflower crops where harvest works started earlier that last year. “We are first harvesting the crops affected because they have reached maturity and in this way we can minimize losses. And sunflower harvests will be reaching processing plants shortly” Minister Daea also said


    In order to support the farmers, the Ministry of Agriculture has allowed them to turn the affected crops into fodder. Furthermore, the Ministry has also issued a Guide of Good Farming Practices in order to enable farmers to cope with the latest climate changes and severe drought. “Climate change is real, it is no longer fiction, and for this reason we must use all the means we have so that the production level and its proper valorization may positively impact Romanias economy” says Minister Daea. Romania is one of the EUs biggest grain exporters and also an active exporter to the Middle East; the main importer here being Egypt. Romanias grain is exported through the countrys main sea port at Constanta, presently also used by another great grain producer, Ukraine, after the blockade imposed by Russia.


  • August 1, 2022

    August 1, 2022

    Tax — Part of the amendments made to the Fiscal Code, which were approved in mid-July by the Romanian Government, came into force on Monday. Among them – the increase in excise duties for cigarettes and tobacco, as well as for alcohol and alcoholic products, higher taxes on gambling winnings and lower ceilings for granting tax exemptions for salaries in constructions, agriculture and the food industry. Other changes to the Fiscal Code, most of which have already been adopted, will be applied as of January 1, 2023.



    Exercise — The city port of Constanţa (south-east) is hosting as of Monday a multinational exercise organized by the Romanian Naval Forces. The exercise takes place in maritime districts off the Romanian Black Sea Coast and in the military port of Constanţa. 240 Romanian soldiers and 60 foreign soldiers from Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, France, Georgia, the United States and Turkey are participating in the exercise. The exercise contributes to increasing the level of training in the combat against makeshift bombs and against mines, as well as to strengthening interoperability between the participating forces.



    Customs — The Romanian citizens who return home or go abroad for the holidays have to wait a long time at the customs points for document control. In recent days, in Vama Nădlac 2 (west), long queues have formed both on the entry and exit lanes. During the weekend, in 24 hours, almost half a million people crossed Romanias borders in both directions. According to the Border Police, almost 262 thousand people entered the country, most of them, namely 152 thousand, crossing the border to Hungary. The Border Police announces that it has taken measures, so that the control of documents should be faster.



    Airport — Băneasa Airport, in the north of Bucharest, reopens as of Monday. For nine years, the airport was closed to commercial flights and underwent a program of modernization of buildings and equipment. On Băneasa airport, the time required for the formalities will be less than an hour, unlike Otopeni Airport, where passengers must go at least two hours before boarding. Băneasa Airport was inaugurated in 1920, but its history begins on August 1, 1912, when the Romanian Aviation League, led by Prince George Valentin Bibescu, establishes, in Băneasa, a flight school for military pilots.



    Cereals – A first ship carrying Ukrainian cereals on Monday left from the Ukrainian port of Odesa, according to the international agreement concluded with Russia on July 22, in Istanbul, the Turkish Defense Ministry announced. In Kyiv, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelensky, estimated that, following the Russian invasion, this year, the cereals crops in Ukraine could be diminished by half. Before the launch of the Russian invasion on February 24, Ukraine held 46% of the worlds sunflower exports, 9% of the wheat exports, 17% of the barley exports and 12% of the corn exports, according to the US Department of Agriculture. We remind you that the Joint Coordination Center, in charge of controlling Ukrainian cereals exports through the Black Sea, was officially inaugurated on Wednesday in Istanbul, according to the agreement signed by Ukraine and Russia, with the mediation of Turkey and the United Nations.



    Census – In Romania, the population census process has come to an end. Sunday was the last day, after the National Institute of Statistics (INS) had already extended the population counting period twice, to give additional time to those who could not do it for various reasons. According to the communication director of the INS, Cătălin Raiu, more than 90% of the Romanian population had been counted. The capital and the big cities had the lowest counting percentages. (LS)

  • February 9, 2022 UPDATE

    February 9, 2022 UPDATE

    UKRAINE – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz hailed on Wednesday the progress made in the deescalation of the Russian-Ukrainian crisis after sustained diplomatic efforts in the past few days, France Presse and Reuters report. “The task is that we ensure the security in Europe, and I believe that will be achieved,” Scholz told journalists at a joint press conference with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen. Previously, French president Emmanuel Macron voiced confidence that progress would be made in the peace talks, but warned that risks still existed. In turn, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said he was looking forward to resuming Normandy Format negotiations with Russia, brokered by France and Germany. He also insisted that president Putin complied with the Minsk agreements, whose main clause concerns the sovereignty of Ukraine.



    EXPORTS – Romania is the EU’s largest exporter of corn and the second largest wheat and barley exporter in the 2021/2022 season. A report made public by the European Commission shows that the EU wheat exports are bigger than in the previous season, with Romania ranking second in this respect, after France and ahead of Germany. Most EU wheat exports went to Algeria, followed by China and Egypt. According to the report, since the start of the 2021/2022 season up to present, member states have exported 3.48 million tons of corn, double than the previous season. Romania produced most of it, 2.61 million tons, and its main destination was Iran.



    MOTION – The Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest on Wednesday dismissed the simple motion tabled by the opposition party USR against the Liberal minister for energy Virgil Popescu, with 98 votes in favor and 190 against. According to the authors, Popescu is a threat to Romanias energy security and must be dismissed immediately. The motion was scheduled for debates on Monday, but the meeting was suspended after the co-president of the nationalist party AUR, George Simion, assaulted the energy minister during his address. The meeting was subsequently resumed, but with only the opposition MPs from AUR and USR in attendance. Virgil Popescu and the MPs from the ruling coalition left the hall in protest. Prosecutors have opened a criminal case with respect to the incident.



    COVID-19 – In Romania 27,346 new SARS-CoV-2 infections were reported on Wednesday, fewer than on the previous day, and 176 related deaths, 5 of them from a previous date. According to experts, who have identified the Omicron variant of the coronavirus in all sequenced samples, Romania may have achieved herd immunity and the fifth pandemic wave is quite likely to end in spring. The vaccination rate remains very low, and the number of fully vaccinated citizens is little over 8 million.



    CONFERENCE – The Romanian health minister Alexandru Rafila is taking part, as of Wednesday, in a 2-day joint conference of EU foreign and health ministers on global health and in an informal meeting of EU health ministers, due in Lyon and Grenoble (France). The 2 events are organised by the French presidency of the EU Council. The participants discuss the EU measures to support developing countries in accessing medicines in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to strengthen national healthcare systems. The informal meeting of health ministers focuses on the intervention and resilience of public health systems in case of crises, and on the joint development of policies to create a Union of health.



    TENNIS – The Romanian player Sorana Cirstea on Wednesday lost to seed no. 2 Anett Kontaveit of Estonia, 6-4, 7-5 in the round of 16 of the WTA 500 tournament in Sankt Petersburg (Russia). Two other Romanians, Irina Begu and Jaqueline Cristian will play on Thursday in the same round, against Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic and Aleksandra Sasnovich of Belarus, respectively. (EE)