Romania is heading for a huge deficit of the food trade in 2003, namely more than one billion euros, accounting for 20% of the total trade deficit. We import much more than we export pork, wheat, milk, sour cream, fresh fish, onions, apples and pastry products.

The detailed data on the food trade are destroying a myth: Romania is no longer a country with flourishing agriculture. The economy has even posted a trade deficit in the ... whey department: ten-month imports worth 1.2 million euros, whereas exports only amounted to 0.9 million euros. The whey deficit value is not significant, but symbolises the Romanian agriculture's inability to meet domestic demand and to send processed products to the international markets.

According to data released by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forests, the Romanian economy has logged a record-high deficit of 865 million euros in the food trade section in the first ten months of last year, up 60% from the deficit posted in the same period of 2002 - 539 million euros.

The deficit was caused both by the significant growth of imports (mainly grain imports) and by the lack of competitive Romanian products on the foreign markets. The situation is very serious, especially since the Romanian producers are already protected by customs duties.

"The huge deficit occurred as not enough attention has been paid to the Romanian agriculture since the Revolution. This will not go away because, as we are getting closer to EU accession, import customs duties will gradually decrease, which will boost imports. I believe that imports will only see a decrease in 2008, after the agriculture support programmes show some results," says Mihai Lungu, chairman of the Romalimenta patronage.

Wheat accounted for the bulk of imports last year - 169 million euros, followed by cigarettes