BUCHAREST: Romania’s production of wheat, maize and sunseed fell by double digits in 2022, driven by weather and higher production costs, preliminary data from the National Statistics Board showed on Friday. The European Union state put 2.18 million hectares under wheat and reaped 8.6 million tonnes of wheat in 2022, down 18% from a bumper harvest in the previous year.

Its maize harvest stood at 8.2 million tonnes, down 44.7%, while sunseed production was 2.08 million tonnes, down 27%. Romania is among the EU’s largest grain sellers and an active exporter, with Egypt its main buyer.

In the 2022/23 season it was the EU’s second-biggest soft wheat exporter. It exports through the port of Constanta, which Ukraine has been using as an alternative route since Russia blocked its Black Sea ports.