Romania has harvested enough wheat for domestic consumption and for exports, Agriculture Minister Petre Daea said Wednesday amid fears that a monthslong drought had compromised the crop.
Romania is one of the EU’s major grain exporters and officials announced Tuesday that almost 250,000 hectares of crops had been affected by the dryness.
Seeking to reassure the public as food prices soar, the minister said that farmers had begun to pick sunflowers in five counties, another important export, News.ro reported.
Speaking at the beginning of a Cabinet meeting, Mr Daea said he would announce the exact figures for harvested wheat next week when he had all the information.
„I have news that deserves your attention, Mr. Prime Minister: We have completed the wheat harvest all over the country and we have the necessary production for domestic consumption and exports,” he said.
He also said farmers were harvesting sunflowers in areas worst affected by the drought. “They have reached maturity and we don’t want to register any losses.”
