Romanian beekeepers are encountering difficulties in marketing their honey, especially because of the very low prices of products imported from non-EU countries, and are advocating for EU-level measures.
One of the beekeepers’ main concerns is the marketing of honey, both within the country and for export.
“A substantial portion of last year’s production remains unsold, due to a lack of demand, largely attributable to the dumping done by China and Ukraine in recent years. Honey arriving at the port in Hamburg is priced as low as 5 lei (€1), comparable to the cost of a kilogram of sugar,” Răzvan Coman, representative of the Romanian Beekeepers Association, told Agerpres.
In 2022 and 2023, honey exports accounted for only around 10% of the total production, whereas imports surged significantly.
When Romania joined the EU in 2007, it had about one million bee hives. Today, this number has surged to over 2.3 million, making Romania the second-largest European country in terms of the number of hives, after Spain. Honey production subsequently increased from 16,000 tons in 2007 to nearly 30,000 tons last year.
Another pressing issue is the quality of imported honey, a concern also confirmed by the latest study conducted by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which revealed that half of the honey entering the European Union has been adulterated.
“I don’t think that solutions can come at the national level, where things are moving very slowly, something should be done at the level of the European Union because the prices of products coming from outside the EU are extraordinarily low”, Coman said. Although there are regulations to counteract dumping practices, their enforcement has been lacking.
Coman suggests that enforcement could be achieved through collective efforts by EU producers. Other countries, including Hungary and Slovenia, also seek European solutions to address the challenges faced by the beekeeping sector, he added.
(Cătălina Mihai | EURACTIV.ro)
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