ROMANIA (11 October)
A very wet summer has had a mixed impact for the 2005 cereal crops. The excessive rainfalls in July and August were too late to have much beneficial effect for wheat yields, and instead had an overall detrimental impact on the quality and size of the crop through disrupting harvesting activities, as well as causing complete loss of crops in some localized areas where severe flooding occurred. The wheat output in 2005 is estimated at about 7.3 million tonnes, 6 percent down from last year’s bumper crop but still well above the average of the past five years. Despite a significant increase in plantings last autumn, this year’s average yield is estimated to be sharply below the record level achieved in 2004. However, this relatively good crop, coming on the heels of the bumper output last year, is expected to lead to a further build-up of wheat reserves in the country, even after a likely increase in exports. The country exported an estimated 100 000 tonnes in 2004/05, but could ship up to 230 000 tonnes of wheat duty-free to EU member states alone in 2005/06. However, as some compensation for the negative impact on wheat, the ample summer precipitation was favourable for the summer maize crop, ensuring another year of above-average yields and production, although down from last year’s bumper level.