Romania set sights on self-sufficiency in pork

In 4 years, Romania is expected to boost its pig population to reach complete self-sufficiency in pork, according to Minister of Agriculture Florin Barbu.

In 2026, the Romanian pig population is set to reach 5 million animals, compared to only 3.2 million in 2024, Barbu revealed. He expects pork imports will plummet as a result. To entirely abandon imports, Romania needs to push this figure to 8.7 million animals. The target is slated to be beat around 2029, he indicated.

Livestock industry development programme

Romania has embarked on a comprehensive livestock industry development programme, under which massive investments are due to be pumped into meat and dairy production. “This year, we have €7.3 billion in commitment credits and €5 billion in budget credits. The money will be used as investments,” Barbu indicated.

The pig industry alone will receive a state aid of RON 2.8 billion (€0.56 billion), Barbu stated, estimating that it is due to become the largest recipient of the state money among all livestock segments. In comparison, the value of the state support for broiler meat production is estimated at RON 1 billion (€200 million), and for the cattle segment at RON 2 billion (€400 million).

No more chaotic investments

According to Barbu, the Romanian government no longer wants the investments in the pig industry to be allocated chaotically. He recalled that between 2014 and 2020, Romania could use European money to build a breeding farm to avoid importing piglets.

“In this way, instead of importing piglets for €125, we could raise them domestically for €50 to €60,” he indicated. However, the money was spent to support the construction of a network of fattening farms, which was not a very wise move, the Minister believes, as the industry remained heavily reliant on imported genetics.

Meat-processing powerhouse

To avoid repeating the same mistakes, Romania plans to focus on every link of the supply chain. Specifically, Barbu revealed that the country has signed contracts for the development of the food processing industry for €1.7 billion, a significant portion of which will be used to ramp up meat processing capacities.

“If these projects are completed within a period of 3, maximum 4 years, based on the declared capacities, Romania will become the strongest player in Southeast Europe in terms of processing,” Barbu indicated.

In addition to food processing, the country plans to invest in the production of ready-to-eat food, hoping to establish its exports in the coming years, Barbu revealed.