1、ROMANIA FRUITS AND VEGETABLES EXPORT POTENTIAL ASSESSMENTDumitrescu Marie-JeanneDuring 2003-2007, Romania was a dynamic exporter of fruits and vegetables, recording an annual average growth in value of 5.4%. This trend was driven mainly by the excellent performance of fruits exports, which registere
2、d an average growth of 8%. Yet, fruits and vegetable exports in 2008 showed an important decreasing of nearly 17% compared to a year earlier. Consequently, Romania remains a net importer of fruits and vegetables, though is among the 20 largest exporters in the world, with around 67 million Euros of
3、exports in 2008.Romania has significant strengths in the fresh fruits and vegetables sector, especially the quality and safety of its products, but there are several factors that negatively affect its competitiveness. These include the high fragmentation of agricultural land and the profusion of sma
4、ll-scale subsistence farms, unable to produce for either the domestic or foreign market.A. ProductionRomanias total production of fruits and vegetables reached about 15 million tons in 2007, with vegetables sector accounting for nearly 80%. Nevertheless, the vegetables sector seems to be more dynami
5、c than the fruits sector as regards the production performance.B. Distribution and domestic market characteristicsDistribution channels of fruits and vegetables are grouped in 2 categories:- Short distribution channel direct sales and local producers markets- Traditional distribution channel wholesa
6、le (distributors, importers) and retail markets (hyper and supermarkets, open markets, specialized shops)Marketing and sales to the public are the most important functions at the retail level. The structure of the retail trade for fruit and vegetables offers the consumer the possibility to make a ch
7、oice from various points of sale, the most important being:- specialized fruit and vegetables shops;- hyper / supermarkets;- open-air markets;- producers / farmers.Domestic supply could be structured in two main categories: local production and imports. There are two season peaks: summer and winter.
8、 Imports are frequently used during the winter season, when supply is mainly provided by distributors and specialized companies. Internal offer is not covering the entire 12 months of the year, so there are some shortages between summer and winter. More over, changing climate has affected the produc
9、ts quality, so that local producers cannot comply with the standards requested by the retailers. In this context, domestic demand is covered by significant imports.There is a visible change in Romanian consumers behavior. These consumers request high quality products and, ultimately, they are willin
10、g to pay a higher price for a good product. There is also a relatively limited consumers segment which is loyal to cheap products, the quality factor being ignored.The main fruits sold by retailers in Romania remain the bananas, followed by oranges. The exotic fruits are a special category and Nethe
11、rlands is the main supplier for Romania. Supplying exotic fruits is relatively difficult since there are only few importers for Romanian market. Exotic fruits cover a limited segment of demand represented by higher incomes consumers. Big retailers are developing promotion activities in order to enco
12、urage exotic fruits sales.C. TradeRomanias trade deficit widened, mainly due to heavy exports decrease compared to last year (-16.6%). Over the last 5 years, imports were growing faster than exports, mainly in the vegetables sector.1. Fresh fruitsDuring 2003-2007, Romanian fruits exports value rose,
13、 in average, by 9%. Yet, during 2008, it registered a 22.8% decline compared to year ago and compared to a 3.3% rise in 2006.Main importing countries of Romanian fruits in 2008 were Germany (34.2% of total Romanian fruits exports), Italy, Turkey, Slovenia, Croatia, Russian Federation, Hungary, Bosni
14、a - Markets with an average annual growth rate of 25 50%: Georgia, Kazakhstan, Cyprus, Lithuania, Moldova, Russian Federation, Morocco, Egypt, Turkey, Slovakia and Belarus;- Markets with an average annual growth rate of 15 25%: Bulgaria, South Africa, Syria, Indonesia, Latvia, Poland, Kuwait, Jordan
15、, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands, Estonia, Czech Rep., Slovenia, Bosnia - Markets with an average annual growth rate of 25 50%: Russian Federation, Poland, Czech Rep., United Arab Emirates, Slovakia, Syria, Lithuania, Thailand, Turkey, Latvia and Armenia;- Markets with
16、 an average annual growth rate of 15 25%: Spain, Denmark, Norway, Algeria, Hungary, South Africa, Kuwait, Bulgaria, Jordan, Tunisia, Morocco, Belarus , Estonia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Cyprus, Iceland, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Malta and Turkmenistan.D. SWOT analysis for fruits and vegetables sectorStrengt
17、hs Weaknesses- Favorable natural conditions for fruits andvegetables production- Traditionally very good produces (quality, safety and flavor)- Very diversified range of products (many varieties and cultivars)- Average use of chemical fertilizers is 8-10 times lower than in EU countries- Good opport
18、unities for organic production of fruits and vegetables- Competitive advantage in several sub-sectors such as mushrooms and berries, due to the size of Romanias forests (which are the largest in Europe) for wild mushrooms and to well developed greenhouses for cultivated mushroom- Production relative
19、ly dependent on weatherconditions- High fragmentation of agricultural land (including orchards) due to government policies to give back the land to old owners- Low concentration of production (many small,individual growers)- Inadequate infrastructure facilities for harvesting, storage, packing, tran
20、sportation) due to lack of investments in new technologies- Poor and incorrect irrigation systems- No domestic market organization in order to provide support for producers and to set up market strategies- No certification and no proper marking and labeling of products in order to provide to consume
21、rs information regarding the quality and safety of products- No public or private priorities and targets- Lack or limited possibilities to perform laboratory analysis in order to improve the quality of production and to fight against specific pests- Lack of information regarding market regulations a
22、nd price.Opportunities Threats- Growing demand for convenience and healthyproducts- Growing demand for high value-added products- Growing demand for organic products (if certified)- Strengthening supply on regional markets- Development of agro-tourism- Export refunds and subsidies granted throughope
23、rational programmes developed within producers organizations- State aid grated to young farmers, for establishment of producers organizations, compensations for less favored areas, promotion and advertising of agricultural products- Preferential market access deriving from the new EU membership stat
24、us, based on FTAs- EUs obesity policy and healthy eating campaigns could stimulate demand for fruits- Quality schemes and geographical indications policy- EU market for fruits and vegetables is almostsaturated- Concentrated buying power of major retail chains- Abandonment of farms- Frequent changes
25、of the weather conditions (drought or floods)- Changes in government policies and interests- Competition from other important exporters(EUROMED countries, Balkan countries)- Additional market requirements: sustainableproduction, recycling of materials, safeguardingbiodiversity, social accountability
26、E. Conclusionsa) Fresh fruits and vegetables are “sensitive” agricultural products so they are, usually, highly protected when imported (tariff or non-tariff barriers), in almost all importingcountries.b) Some fresh fruits and vegetables are highly perishable products, so they are, usually, traded a
27、t regional level, except some exotic varieties and cultivars. Trade is based on a proximity relationship between importers and exporters.c) Usually, trade is also based on a preferential treatment mutually granted through a free trade agreement between importing and exporting countries.d) Romania ha
28、s a great export potential for fresh quality fruits and vegetables, even organic products, especially those with growing level of production, but not enough capitalized on exports.e) Romania faces fierce competition from EUROMED countries, Balkans, Middle East countries, CIS and some EU countries.f)
29、 Romania has to comply with EU standards and regulations regarding the fresh fruits and vegetables market.g) Romania has to comply with the social requirements: Social Accountability 8000 (SA 8000) is a universal management system for companies seeking to guarantee the basic rights of their workers.
30、h) Romania has to comply with the environmental market requirements.i) Romanian exporters should take into account the importance of using Ecolabels and fair-trade labels to their produces.F. Main challenges for Romanias fresh fruits and vegetables sectora) Establishing clear priorities and objectiv
31、es both at public and private level in order to address it adequately.b) Developing a sustainable and high performance agricultural sectorc) Strengthening national and EU legislation on food safety and qualityd) Developing programmes for farm monitoring and inspectione) Training quality and safety i
32、ssues to different stakeholders in the food chainf) Introducing GAP (Good Agricultural Practice standards on fruits and vegetables, developed by EUREP Euro-Retailer Produce Working Group) in order to have a good management system in place to deal with quality, hygiene and environment mattersg) Promo
33、ting and encouraging formation of producers organizationsh) Introducing integrated channels of distributioni) Sector brandingBibliography1.International Trade Centre (ITC) Geneva 2.RTPCs database3.EUs Comext, Market Access Database, Export Helpdesk, EUR-LEX, TARIC4.CBI Centre for the Promotion of Imports from Developing Countries 5.Wikipedia6.Europe Fresh Quality Guide online 7.FAOSTAT
