ROMANIA (18 September)
Romania was one of the central and eastern European countries that was the hardest hit by drought in 2003. The wheat crop was devastated, with its output reduced to an estimated record low of 2.5 million tonnes, compared to 4.4 million tonnes last year and over 5 million tonnes on average over the past five years.
After being a net wheat exporter for the past two years, the government has banned exports for one year; significant wheat imports are expected to be necessary in 2003/04. Import taxes have been removed for imports of cereals totalling 1.6 million tonnes, including 1 million tonnes of wheat, and by early September it was reported that some 300 000 tonnes of wheat had already been imported during August.
The outlook for the summer maize crop is still uncertain. As of early September, the harvest was still less than 20 percent complete. Official reports continue to suggest that the area of maize for harvest is larger than it has been in the past five years, so even with below average yields expected, the output could still be around 8 million tonnes.