Page 13 - RO BG Dierlijke sector presentatie LAN dagen

The Romanian Dairy Sector

Size of the sector
• 1.3 mln cows, decreasing steadily (from 2.5 mln in 1991); large number of small farms (out of the

625,000 dairy farms, 622,000 have less than 20 cows, and only 220 have more than 100 cows)
• 4.2 mln tons of milk of which only about 1 mln t sold to processors

Trends
• Sector is (very) slowly consolidating (repeated derogations for applying EU milk standards as well as milk

quota distributed even to owners of 1 cow - in 2007 - has delayed the restructuring of the sector)
• Low milk price makes the increase in competitiveness the only possible way for future survival
• Processing dominated by foreign investors

Why is it a promising sector?
• High natural potential for milk production
• Subsidies (the dairy sector is a priority sector in NRDP 2014-2020)
• Sector restructuring implies farm modernisation => demand for equipment, genetics, knowledge
• Consumer preference for locally produced dairy products; increasing incomes

Available reports:
• Romanian dairy report (USDA, 2016)
• Euromonitor report on dairy products

13 Emar Gemmeke | Landbouwraad voor Romenië en Bulgarije
16-03-2016