According to USDA-FAS GAIN report RO2020-0031, domestic production in Romania will decline 9.3 percent from 2019 to attain a level of 460,000 metric tons. USDA attributes the reduction to the affect of COVID that has almost eliminated restaurant dining. Imports from EU nations and Ukraine have depressed domestic production.
In 2020, net imports will amount to 49,100 metric tons although total imports from other EU-28 nations will attain 124,000 metric tons offset by exports of 77,500 metric tons in 2020. Given a population of 19.5 million, average per capita consumption is 56.4 pounds representing 45 percent of the meat consumed in the Nation. Pork at 35 percent is the second most popular meat, down from 41 percent in 2010.
The Romanian chicken industry is characterized by vertical integration with 80 percent of product marketed in chilled form. The Government of Romania extends subsidies to the poultry sector based on a livestock-unit basis for individual growers.