RSS
Honey exports from Romania experienced a blockage in 2016
The honey exports from Romania experienced a blockage in 2016, due to the massive imports from Argentina, Mexico and China and to the diminishing of the honey consumption in Europe where Romania ranks anyway at the bottom of the table, says the president of the Beekeepers Association in Romania (ACA), Ioan Fetea.
"It is for the first time in the past 50 years since our association is exporting honey that we have delivered less than 100 tonnes of honey to the foreign market, considering that we were usually exporting 1,500 - 2,000 tonnes of honey per year. We still have 200 tonnes of honey on the stocks. And the reasons are clear: a drop in the European consumption and the huge imports from China, Argentina or Mexico. It is an immense offer out there. They do have a 6 - 8 months to harvest per year, while we only have 2 - 3 months. Romania counts for rd 1.4 million bee families, while China has over 8 million. Statistically, they don't even know for sure how much honey they've got and how much they do consume, but they sell it cheap. 2016 is the first year with a total jam of the honey exports from Romania," said Ioan Fetea at the National Honey Fair.
Romania cashed from the honey exports 9.18 million euro in the first quarter of 2016, up by 14pct than in the similar period of 2015 when the deliveries abroad only brought 8.06 milion euro.
On the other side, the honey imports in the first three months of 2016 went over 1.93 million euro for 775.5 tonnes, while in the same period of 2015 it totaled 1.5 million euro for 734 tonnes of imported honey.
Romania produces on average 20,000 tonnes of honey annually, ranking fourth in Europe and the bee families last year counted for 1.47 million. At national level, around 40,000 beekeepers are recorded, over 60pct being ACA members with as many as 900,000 bee families.