The global wheat harvest this year exceeded 1 million tonnes. This is the highest volume in the last ten years. The figure is by about 200,000 tonnes higher than in 2011. The average crop per hectare is 3.1 tonnes, as against 2.2 tonnes over the last three years, IPN reports.
Minister of Agriculture and Food Industry Vasile Bumacov told a news conference that the food wheat represents 40% of the harvest. “70,000 tonnes of the total crop will be stored for the autumn sowing. 340,000 tonnes are needed to ensure the country’s food reserve, including 31,000 tonnes for the state reserve. 400,000 tonnes will be used by the animal breeding sector. The surplus of 160,000 tonnes will be exported,” he stated.
There were also harvested 225,000 tonnes of barley, twice more than in 2012, 38,300 tonnes of rape that will be fully exported and 12,200 tonnes of peas that will be mainly used on the home market.
“The grain harvest this year will total 1.365 million tonnes, while productivity will be 3 tonnes per hectare, as against 1.34 tonnes in 2012. This is due to the equipment purchased the previous years and the implementation of advanced technology,” said the minister.
As regards the purchase prices, Vasile Bumacov said they tend to stabilize. The fodder barley and wheat are sold for 1,900-2,000 lei per tonne, while the food wheat for 2,100-2,400 lei per tonne.
