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Given all these conclusions, in order to see which the destination of these productions was we will have to carry out an analysis of Romania's exports and imports in the fruit and vegetable sector. In the below table is presented Romania’s exports of fruits and vegetable during the period 2007-2011.

Table 4. Romania’s exports of fruits and vegetable

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

value share value share value share value share value share

Specification Mil. euro % Mil. euro % Mil. euro % Mil. euro % Mil. euro % 07. Vegetables, plants, roots and food tubercles 42,8 3,8 41,7 1,9 43,7 1,9 66,6 2,1 53,0 1,3 08. Fruits; citrus peels and melons 38,5 3,5 33,5 1,5 38,8 1,7 61,9 2,0 70,1 1,8

Source: authors’ own processing

Regarding the value of vegetables exports (Chapter 07 "Edible vegetables and certain roots and tubers") it can be seen that on a national level, they had an insignificant share of about 0.1 - 0.2% for 2007-2011 as a share of total exports.

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If we refer only to the category of agrifood exports, then the share of vegetables exports ranged from 3.8% (the maximum share recorded in 2007) and 1.3% (the minimum share recorded in 2011). Of course, the shares are not always suggestive, since a large share in the total exports does not necessarily mean a higher value, so in terms of value, vegetables exports had two also other two peaks in the studied range period. Thus, the maximum value was recorded in 2010 and it was 66.6 million euro while the minimum value was recorded in 2008 when the Romanian vegetables exports were only of 41.7 million euro.

Ironically, 2008 is the year in which the areas cultivated with vegetables were the highest in the period 2007-2011, and the obtained outputs were also very high (close to periods peak). This aspect could be explained by the fact that in 2008 the economic and financial crisis has affected most European countries, the purchasing power was very low and the prices have suffered changes.

Fruit exports have registered a relatively constant evolution during the years 2007, 2008 and 2009, hovering around the value of 38 million euro, while in 2010 and 2011 have increased significantly by 60%, respectively 82% compared to 2007. Basically, in 2011 was registered the most high fruit export of a 70.1 million value. (www.romtradeinvest.ro). Again there is a paradox because 2011 was also the year in which the land surface covered with orchards had decreased and fruit production lowered with 6.6% compared to the previous year. This significant change is due to stabilization of European and international markets with the apparent exit from the economical and financial crisis.

Romania’s imports on the two chapters ’07 Vegetables, plants, roots and food tubercles’ and ’08 Fruits; citrus peels and melons’ are each described separately while having different evolution.

Table 5. Romania’s imports of vegetables and fruits

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

value share Value share Value share value share value share

Specification Mil. euro % Mil. euro % Mil. euro % Mil. euro % Mil. euro % 07 Vegetables, plants, roots and food tubercles 144,2 4,3 155,6 3,6 122,0 3,2 149,7 3,8 152,2 3,4 08 Fruits; citrus peels and melons 245,1 7,4 245,3 5,6 175,7 4,6 178,7 4,5 185,4 4,2 Source: authors’ own processing

The imports of vegetables had a fluctuating trend, with a minimum recorded in 2009 (122 million euro) and a peak in 2008 (155.6 million euro). However if we pay a close look at the entire period, then it could be observed an increase of the imports of vegetables in 2011 by 5.25% compared to 2007.

Romania’s exports and imports of vegetables correlate with each other with an inverse relationship. So if the exports have registered a peak in 2010-2011, the imports

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showed lower values, the minimum recording in 2009. The minimum value of exports was recorded in 2008, while the imports were the highest in the exactly same year.

Regarding the fruit import, it recorded a maximum of 245.3 million euro in 2008 and a minimum of 175.7 million euro in 2009. Overall the imports, although have registered some fluctuations have decreased by 24.3% in 2011 compared to 2007.

In this case also, the imports correlate with the exports through a relationship of inverse proportionality. The exports peak form the period 2010-2011 is correlated with the very low values of imports (close to the minimum value recorded in 2009), and the maximum of the imports in 2007-2008 correlates with the export minimum.

However, Romania's trade balance is negative for vegetables and fruits. Overall the exports amounts value around several tens of millions euro while the imports value around a hundreds of million euro. In 2011 the export of vegetables and fruits represented 5.4% of total exports of agricultural products of the country, while the import accounted for in the same year, 24.2% of total imports of agricultural products, which explains the negative balance trade in this chapter.

The European Union is the leading destination as well as source of supply in the global fruit and vegetable sector. Major exporters are Spain, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, France and Germany. (Huang, H.S., 2004:11).

In order to get a complete picture of fruit and vegetable sector in Romania we will also analyze the annual consumption, per capita and its evolution during the same time period: 2007-2011. The last years were marked by shifts in consumption habits and lifestyle, many nutrition experts from around the world highlighted the increasing importance of fruits and vegetables in the daily diet and the need to increase consumption (Chiru, C., & Calabro, G., 2012:81).

The Romanian Statistical Yearbook 2011, shows that the annual consumption per capita was situated in 2010 at 98.2 kg potatoes (which means an increase of 2.2% compared to 2007), at 174.4 kg for vegetables and vegetables products (in equivalent of fresh vegetables), legumes and watermelons (showing an increase by 3.7% and respectively 6.3% compared to 2007). Also, a person's annual consumption of fruits was 63.3 kg registering an increase of 1.6% compared to 2007.

The trend of fruit and vegetables consumption is an increasing one, from year to year, and we believe that it will maintain the same in the next period, out of at least reasons:

• the increase of the interest due to the public awareness of adopting a healthier lifestyle, which involves a greater consumption of fruits and vegetables;

• slight increase in population’s incomes, which allow the purchase of superior agrifood products, the category in which fall the fruits and vegetables in Romania;

• the amplification of media on the benefits obtained from the increased consumption of vegetables and fruits.

The production also benefits from a favorable development field due to the existence of measures to support the fruits and vegetables sector in 2012 (Financial support for preliminary recognized producer groups and the producer organizations in the fruits and vegetables sector; The ‘Fruit in schools’ program – a grant of 8.483.523 euro given by EU to Romania for the school year 2011-2012; State aid for the diesel

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used in agriculture − 1.27 lei / liter; Measure 142 Setting up of producer groups − 95 600 lei, etc.).

The EU financial support has been the engine for the investments needed to raise the sector’ competitiveness and helping local farmers improve efficiency through upgraded technology (The ministry of Economic Affairs, EVD, 2009:6).

CONCLUSION

The fruit and vegetable sector in Romania is characterized by a relatively high potential, both in terms of surfaces that can be attracted in the agricultural circuit, but also due to the potential to develop ecological agriculture. This conclusion is supported by the fact that:

• the fertilizer consumption in both sectors has not increased significantly from 2007 to 2011 while the natural fertilizer consumption increased significantly.

• in 2011 there were 9,703 ecological operators registered in the ecological agriculture from 3834 to 2007;

• the cultivated area in the ecological agriculture, arable crops, was 147,581.55 ha in 2011 compared to 65.112 ha in 2007;

• the orchards and vine crops area increased from 954 ha in 2007 to 4166.62 ha in 2011. (www.madr.ro).

Moreover, the large share of employment in agriculture, on the background of a very poor mechanization of these two sectors, increases even more the potential to develop an ecological agriculture.

Romania will never be able to compete with the imported products in terms of price or in terms of the offered quantities, so its chance is the ecological agriculture. Here Romania has a great potential given by the fact that our lands are not as "chemicalized" as other European countries, which gives us a substantial advantage. Romania has not known to take advantage of the years when, despite the cultivated areas, production was higher than in previous years and to capitalize on a higher level these additional quantities. For the following period, Romania will be the slave of imports for this sector of agriculture.

The explanations are multiple and relate primarily to the high cost of the Romanian products which reflects on prices, compared to imported fruits and vegetable, although seen from the qualitative perspective the situation is exactly the opposite. The population low income together with the lack of "local patriotism" encourages fruits and vegetables imports. Another explanation relates to the production, well below the average annual consumption per capita quantity in our country.

Another issue is raised by the insufficient development of the associative phenomena in the field, which would allow profitable contracts both upstream and downstream the production area, thus eliminating some of the present intermediates.

Romania admitted that until May 2, 2012, had a total number of 34 producer groups and producer organizations under Regulation (EC) 1234/2007 establishing a common organization of agricultural markets and on specific provisions for certain agricultural products. The recognized groups and producers organizations in the fruits and vegetables sector may benefit from financial support stipulated by the Government

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Decision no. 1078 of 10 September 2008 regarding the financial support to the producers groups previously recognized and also to producer’s organizations in the fruit and vegetables sector. (www.madr.ro). For the period 2010-2013, the recognized producer groups and organizations can receive financial support for the establishment, administrative facilities and investments as well.

Summarizing we could state that the production potential of the sector is affected for the following reasons:

• large number of small exploitations;

• a low level of endowment with modern technical production means and harvest of the exploitations;

• a high degree of fragmentation of vegetables and fruit surfaces and the lack of a coherent land consolidation strategy; The severe land fragmentation has been accompanied by a reduction in the living standards of the rural communities causing 76% of the total holdings (38.2% of the total area) producing for self-consumption and only 2.3% of the holdings (31.2% of area) being market oriented (Chiru, C., & Calabro, G., 2012:81).

• a low degree of fruit plantations rejuvenation associated with large areas of orchards in decline;

• the increasing frequency of extreme weather phenomena impacting on production.

At the same time, the production potential of the Romanian sector of fruits and vegetables is characterized by:

• numerous exploitations;

• a high range choice of species and varieties of fruits and vegetables;

• favorable climatic conditions for growing vegetables, fruit trees and fruits hrubs;

• the increase of the areas cultivated with competitive varieties of vegetables and fruit trees;

• the increase of the areas cultivated with vegetables in modern protected areas.

However, there are a number of competitiveness factors of fruit and vegetables sector, such as:

• in Romania, the fruits and vegetables sector is characterized by relatively cheap labor force, low cost of raw material for processing and a high potential for practicing an ecological agriculture;

• the quality of Romanian products is recognized and valued by consumers; Romanian products are preferred to others from somewhere else;

• the existence of research centers in areas favorable for the production of fruit and vegetables, whose staff has considerable theoretical and technical knowledge could create preconditions for increasing the competitiveness of the sector, under the condition that the future research projects would focus on applied research of which results would be implemented by the producers.

All these aspects can have a positive impact on the fruits and vegetables sector in Romania, if we develop an efficient management in this field.

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REFERENCES