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The paper analyzed the impact of Romania's accession into the EU on honey production and trade, using the empirical provided by FAOSTAT and National Institute of Statistics. The methodology was adapted to the purpose of comparison between the pre and post accession period using fixed basis index, growth rate, absolute and relative differences, structural indices, specific trade ratios, and graphical representation. Romania is an important honey producer with a potential over 30,000 tonnes per year. The accession into the EU in 2007 has stimulated the development of apiculture. In 2017, Romania produced 30,177 tonnes honey of which, about 46% was exported mainly in the EU. Romania has over 1,600 thousand bee colonies and 46,000 apiculturists, meaning 24 bee families per apiary. Honey yield per bee family is 18.8 kg, but the potential is over 22 kg, less than in other EU countries. Weather conditions have deeply influenced apiculture performance during the last decade. Both acquisition and producer's price increased in the domestic market, and also the export/import price index was favorable to Romania due to the high quality of honey which is much required on the EU market. In 2016, the export value reached USD 41.4 Million, being 5.37 times higher than in 2000, and the import value achieved USD 8.9 Million, being 52.5 times higher than in the 1st year of the study. Trade balance accounted for USD 32.5 Million, being 4.3 times higher than in 2000. As a conclusion, the accession of Romania into the EU favored honey production, export and import and helped the EU to meet much better its internal market needs and intensify export. For this reason, beekeeping will continue to be an important sector of Romania's and EU agriculture in order to support pollination of agricultural crops, food security and safety and preserve biodiversity. Due to the strong competition, Romania should fight to maintain its position as a top honey producer and exporter of the EU. For this reason, beekeepers should increase apiary size, include organic honey as a market niche, assure honey certification brands and join in more associative forms for increasing efficiency along the honey market chain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyzed the contribution of the domestic trade to the economic development of Romania in the period 2008-2017 in terms of contribution to GDP, investments, jobs, labor productivity, number of companies in operation and turnover. The data taken from the National Institute of Statistics were processed using fixed basis indices, growth rates, structural changes, comparisons to emphasize the main aspects which characterize the evolution of home trade and of its subsectors. The results proved the important role that home trade has in the economy. In 2016, it contributed by Lei 160 Billion 918.7%) to GDP, by Lei 20.06 Billion (20%) to the investments in the economy, by 1,884 thousand persons (22.5%) to the occupied population, but in a lower measure to the increase of labour productivity. Home trade is attractive for small business investors as proved by the increased number of new companies in 2016. At present, 45.4% of the enterprises operating in the economy are profiled on trade transactions. Also, home trade has contributed by Lei 565.1 Billion to the turnover in the economy. The increased sales are justified by the consumption high growth rate for goods and services. The wholesale and retail trade contributes by about 81% to the national turnover. Therefore, trade is a very important sector of activity which supports Romania's economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the paper was to analyze vegetables and mainly tomatoes contribution to fruit production and consumption in Romania. Based on the statistical data for the period 2007-2014, it was studied the dynamics of the surface cultivated with vegetables and tomatoes, vegetable and tomatoes production, tomatoes yield, vegetable and tomatoes production per inhabitant, and also consumption and producer's price. Although vegetable and tomatoes cultivated area declined by 22%, and respectively by 10%, vegetable production reached 3,808 thousand tons and tomatoes production 711 thousand tons in 2014. For this reason, Romania comes on the 8th position among the top tomatoes producers in the EU-28. The vegetable intake of 186 kg and tomatoes consumption of 38 kg per capita and year, Romania exceeds WHO's recommendations assuring a healthy offer to its inhabitants. Tomatoes are a top vegetable contributing by 18.3% to the cultivated area with vegetables and by 18.9% to vegetable production. But, tomatoes yield of 15.1 tons per ha in 2014 is still small compared to other top producers. And tomatoes price at farm gate is Euro 73/100 kg much higher than in other countries. For this reason, to increase productivity and efficiency along the product chain, it is needed to extend tomatoes growing in green houses by investing in modern farms where modern technologies to be implemented. Producers must join their capital and efforts into an associative forms, to enlarge farm size for getting cheaper farm inputs, for applying modern technologies, for better selling their products. An EU financial support is required, but the EU criteria should be revised and much better tailored to the concrete conditions of Romania's small holdings, which are the most numerous in the Community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]