Agricultural lands ’sold only to residents’

The Minister of Agriculture, Valeriu Tabără, announced in Berlin that Romania would take the necessary steps so that it should not be obliged to sell land to non-residents by 2020

According to the official, about 8 percent of Romania's arable land is used by foreign citizens who have bought it in accordance with the law or have leased the land.

Moreover, in a ranking of buyers of land in Romania, Italy is ranked first with 24.29 percent, Germany with 15.48 percent and Arab countries with 9.98 percent.

Hungary is next, with 8.17 percent of the over 700 000 acres of farmland acquired in Romania, followed by Spain (6.22 percent), Austria (6.13 percent), Denmark (4.52 percent), Greece and the Netherlands each 2.4 percent and Turkey with 0.78 percent.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, last year land prices in Romania ranged between 1 500 and 2 500 euros per hectare, and in 2011 between 4000-5000 euros per hectare depending on the location.

The Minister of Agriculture is participating these days in the Exhibition for theFood Industry, Agriculture and Horticulture in Berlin, entitled International Green Week.

Romania's participation in the event has a long tradition. Our country was represented at the festival for the first time in 1973, but this is the first time Romania participates in this exceptional event as a partner country.

The purpose of this participation is both a more aggressive promotion of Romanian products on the European and international markets and attracting investments in certain agricultural projects, as the Romanian Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Valeriu Tabără, mentioned at the event.

‘One of the largest projects we are planning is the Bărăgan Siret Channel’, Valeriu Tabără said.

In the following days, the Romanian stand will host a series of events such as the Maramureş Day or the Feast of Romanian wines.

Translated by: Denisse-Meda Bucura
MA Student, MTTLC, Bucharest University