Tableros de control

Agricultural area ranged from 14,815,200 hectares in 2007 to 13,298.0 thousand hectares in 2010 in Romania. Romania contributes with 6 percentage points at utilized agricultural area. Greatest contribution it has France with 16 percentage points, followed by Spain with 15 percent. So in the ranking of the agricultural area used, Romania ranks 6. This position reflects the importance of the agriculture surface of Romania and demonstrates the agricultural potential that it has.

More than half of utilized agricultural area in the EU27 belongs to France, Spain, Germany and Great Britain. Mainly these percentages have remained stable in 2003-2010 but there are exceptions. According to EUROSTAT these exceptions were noted by increasing Spain with 0.8% and 0.6% in Poland and by reducing Romania and the UK with 0.7 percent.

The utilized agricultural area showed fluctuations in the year 2010. Most EU 27 member states scored a decrease in terms of utilized agricultural area. United Kingdom, Sweden, Finland, Poland, registered increases of cultivated surface, other countries including Romania shows decrease of agricultural land. In Romania the proportions of this phenomenon assumes disturbing connotations because the setting up of industrial sites was done without taking into consideration the protection of agricultural land and thus without giving due importance to limited character of the land for this purpose. Basically, the main factor of production respectively agricultural land becomes a clear target of urban activity, either by turning it into urban land, whether as a result of degradation by mechanical activity and forced chemicalizing designed to provide food requirements to the urban population that is on the rise. To balance relations within the coalition-building land-urbanization this does not be seen as a stop development process, but as a rationalization, establishing an optimal framework for the evolution of the three components, so that each of them better meet their goals.

In terms of agricultural holdings in the period 2005-2010 there was a decrease in the total agricultural holdings both in the EU 27 and in Romania. The main reasons behind these reductions refer to changes in the meaning of instabilities that have occurred in the economic and which influenced agricultural holdings activities. Evolution in the number of holdings is closely related to land development and a reduction in the number of holdings may be made on easing agricultural land. Another variable that has an impact on this state is the physical resizing farms.

In terms of number of holdings with at least one unit of economic size, in terms of this number Romania ranks fourth after Italy, Poland and Spain. Countries like Portugal and the UK have a small number of such holdings more precisely 1,816,000 respectively 1,785,000 holdings. Other EU Member States have amounted to a total of 27 10824000 holdings this is lower than Italy which holds 13.833 million holdings.

The data shows that in the year 2010, from the number of holdings 76% of the 745 million holdings larger than one economic size unit are constituted by Italy with a contribution of 19 percent to that number, 15 percent Poland Spain with 13 percent, Romania by 12 percent, Greece with 10 percent and France with 7 percent. Of course this is irrelevant if is not taken into account factors that may influence this. Factors that have impact on the number of holdings can be considered: the total area of the state to which it refers, the total agricultural area utilized agricultural area legislative framework under which it is established and operate the holdings, farming practiced models. By comparing, agricultural area of Romania is lower than Germany's for example but the

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number of holdings in Romania's case is higher than in Germany, this is explained by the existence of holdings in Germany whose economic size is much larger than in Romania and the existence of small economic size holdings in Romania. Romania also has a utilized agricultural area for holdings larger than one unit of economic size close to that of Italy but the number of holdings is much higher in Italy, this is explained by the existence of holdings which in Italy are characterized in general by small economic size and the pronounced difference between of holdings size.

Differences may also be explained by the state of development of agriculture as a whole, Romania still represents the space in which operates further very small holdings, many of which are less than one unit of economic size Also in the case of Romania you can refer to the degree of excessive fragmentation of agricultural land and parcelled it, besides this factor it also operates the Romanians reluctance to cooperate, associate or lease.

Holdings of less than 1 ESU

Although at the level of 2010 according to European Commission these holdings occupied only 7% of the utilized agricultural area and 1.6% of the standard gross margin EU 27, EU agriculture structure analysis cannot be neglected because it holds a 48.85 percent share in total agricultural holdings

This type of holding occupies the largest share of total agricultural holdings; this percentage is between 45.95 and 48.85 percent. Although these holdings have a large percentage of the total number of holdings in by EU-27 level these holdings hold a lower share in the farm land they use.

At the level of EU 27 over the period of analysis there is a decrease in the number of holdings with this economic dimension In comparison to 2003 there has been a continual increase until 2007, the percentage decrease in the number agricultural holdings of this size is 13.7, exactly to 2003, the number of agricultural holdings decreased by 870,700 In this respect all EU 27 have contributed Mentioned in these holdings is that the Netherlands was no longer include these farms in European statistics because they represent less than one percent in agriculture Also in other Member States such as Luxembourg, Denmark and Finland are significantly reduced these holdings represent less than 5 percent and aggregating more than 4,000 farms.

Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Spain, France, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Luxembourg, Slovak Republic acted to increase the number of holdings of this size Other EU member states 27 have shown both increases and decreases in the number of agricultural holdings with more than 100 ESU in the period of analysis.

In Romania until 2005 there is a decrease in the number agricultural holdings with less than economic size unit from 2003, but in 2010 it recorded an increase this number compared to 2005.

In seven of the 27 European Union Member States (Romania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Latvia and Lithuania) holdings whose economic size is less than one economic size unit represents more than half of registered holdings by 2010 In 2010, holdings with an economic size of less than one economic size unit represented 23% of total number of holdings registered at the level of EU27. The main difficulty encountered is that of maintaining family structures of production in terms of competitiveness objectives This explains a land policy with objectives sometimes ambivalent or difficult to adapt local specificities Such training funds to encourage agricultural of holdings at an enterprise approach proves to be difficult.

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Romania's situation on the increased number of holdings with a unit economic size is explained by excessive fragmentation of agricultural land and by parcelling it.

The average size of farms larger than 1 ESU

Values regarding the evolution of the average area of agricultural holdings recorded both in the EU 27 and in Romania oscillations. If in 2003 the average area per holding was 8.8 hectares in 2010 this value increased to 12.8 hectares. Regarding the EU 27 holding average area is noted that the trend is a strictly increasing, this indicator increased from 20.4 hectares per holding to 22.3 acres per holding.

This evolution as well as the gap between the EU and Romania can be explained by the small number agricultural holdings with an economic size greater than one ESU and the contribution of country like Germany, France, Italy, Spain which had on their territory sized agricultural holdings larger. Romania is a country that is still characterized by a high number of peasant households whose size is very small. Also besides the physical size to the development of this indicator it contributes the performance per hectare recorded and Romania by practicing primarily an extensive system is characterized by low performance which does not allow classification of holdings although from terms of physical size could be placed on farms with size greater than 1 ESU.

Standard gross margin

Romania's participation in the formation of the EU-27 gross margin is reduced. The largest share amounting to 3 848.4 ECU was recorded in 2003 and contributed 2.65 percent to the EU 27 standard gross margin formation. The lowest value was 2 598.8 ECU and recorded in 2007 but its contribution to the formation of standard gross margin amounts to 1.71 percent of EU-27 is due to the decrease of this indicator in the EU 27. The lowest rate was recorded in 2010, but was 1.68 percent of the total. These values are explained as reduced physical size of agricultural holdings and labour used, the degree of mechanization, technology, agricultural model practices in Romania. This emphasizes the need for measures to increase size and performance.

Standard gross margin on the holding has a much lower in Romania than EU-27 average, its value is approximately 2.8 times lower in 2003-2010 analysis periods, this can be explained by the large differences existing EU 27 in terms of margin and standard farm structure exceeding one ESU. This indicator reflects the economic performance of farms at the level of EU-27 and in Romania. An agricultural development based on performance and such performance involves progress. The high potential of Romania may change the current position in terms of standard gross margin but a large number of peasant households hinder this process.