Three of four tomatoes at supermarket come from import
The Competition Council is publishing an analysis of the competitive market economy in 2012, and noticing that imports are on the rise in basic food products.
Articol de Ionuţ Iamandi, 07 Noiembrie 2013, 21:06
According to the data processed by the Competition Council in 2012 in hypermarkets from Romania, the import products from the category of fruits and vegetables far outweigh those of the domestic production.
Thus, 86% of the apples in the shelves of big retailers originate from imports; in the case of pears, 95 percent are imported; the grape, 85%, and 75% for apples.
In vegetables and fruits taken into account by the Competition Council, only cherries and cabbage come at the rate of over 50% of domestic production.
The Council publishes a report on "competition in key sectors of the Romanian economy." The report deals with several areas (automotive, banking, natural gas, liberal professions), but also of the retail food chain.
The authors of the report make the distinction between "modern trade", represented by the supermarkets, and traditional, which say that still dominates in Romania.
Graphic relating to the origin of fruit and vegetables from the supermarket shelves, 2012. Source: the Competition Council(click on image to enlarge).
"More imports" from the milk and oil
Instead, the large stores of livestock products of Romanian origin dominate the market.
Thus, the milk, pork, chicken or sausage, Romanian production is at least two times higher than that of imports.
The Competition Council noted, however, that between 2009 and 2012, the trend of increasing imports in this sector is discerned.
In this table, the Competition Council illustrates the evolution of the share of basic food products originating in Romania as well, total sales in 2009-2012. Click on the image to enlarge.
With the exception of pork , the authors note, for all other categories of products listed on schedule, imported products gaining ground.
" Milk and sunflower oil have been the biggest changes in this direction, in the period under review," the report said.
A household spends nearly 50% of their income on food and drink.
The Competition Council notes that the highest share in the total consumer spending is represented by food consumption.
According to the National Institute of Statistics, in 2012, the expenses for food and non-alcoholic beverages accounted for about 42% of total consumption expenditure of households.
Compared to other EU Member States, the level of concentration of the retail food sector in Romania should not raise major competitive concerns, says Competition Council Council.
