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Land Use & Agriculture 
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| Land use: |
|---|
| Arable land: | 41 % |
| Permanent crops: | 3 % |
| Permanent pastures: | 21 % |
| Forests and woodland: | 29 % |
| Other: | 6 % |
| Irrigated land: | 7.8m acres |
| Crop | Annual Production | Comment |
|---|
| Wheat |
5.18 |
m tons |
Table |
| Grapes |
1.20 |
m tons |
Table |
| Maize |
8.60 |
m tons |
Table |
| Potatoes |
3.30 |
m tons |
Table |
| Sunflower |
0.90 |
m tons |
Table |
| Tomatoes |
0.50 |
m tons |
Table |
| Tobacco |
0.02 |
m tons |
Table |
|
Timber |
Annual Production |
Comment |
| Timber (Roundwood) |
13.75 |
m m³ |
Chart |
| Timber (Sawnwood) |
2.28 |
m m³ |
Chart |
| Timber (Pulp) |
247.00 |
thsnd. tns |
Chart |
| Timber (Paper) |
439.00 |
thsnd. tns |
Chart |
|
Livestock |
Stock Total / Annual Production |
Comment |
| Cattle | 3.40 | m | Table | | Pigs | 7.30 | m | Table | | Sheep | 9.20 | m | Table | | Poultry | 83.00 | m | Table |
|
Livestock Products |
Annual Production |
Comment |
| Meat | 1.20 | m tons | Table | | Milk | 5.30 | m tons | Table | | Eggs | 0.30 | m tons | Table |
Agriculture
A radical land reform, begun in 1921 and completed in 1948, redistributed farmland from large owners to peasant farmers, but the restructuring of the economy after the communist takeover included the compulsory collectivization of agriculture, carried out between 1949 and 1962. Since 1989, state farms have been retained as large units, but collective farms have been broken up into individual peasant holdings--although in the main arable areas they have been replaced by loose cooperative associations. Romania faces major problems in improving the quality of farm production (especially livestock breeding) and in setting up an efficient system for marketing.
The climate and relief of the extensive Romanian plains are most favourable to the development of cereal crops, although these also are found in the Subcarpathians and in the Transylvanian Basin, where they occupy a high proportion of the total arable land. Wheat and corn (maize) are most important, followed by barley, rye, and oats. Two-row barley is cultivated in the Brasov, Cluj, and Mures areas, where it is used for brewing. The tendency is for the acreage of cereals to fall as yields increase and industrial crops require more land.
Vegetables--peas, beans, and lentils--are planted on a relatively small area. Peas are the predominant crop; maturing in time for an early harvest, they allow a second crop, usually fodder plants, to be grown on the same ground. Vegetable cultivation is particularly marked around the city of Bucharest, with specialization in the production of early potatoes, tomatoes, onions, cabbages, and green peppers. Similar gardening areas are found around Timisoara, Arad, Craiova, Galati, Braila, and other cities. The most important potato-growing areas are Brasov, Sibiu, Harghita, and Mures districts. Other related crops include sugar beets; sunflower seeds, mostly on the Danube, Tisa, and Jijia plains; hemp; flax; rape; soybeans; and tobacco.
Romania can be counted among the main wine-producing countries of Europe. It specializes in the production of high-quality wines, using modern methods; with the growth of the tourist trade, its wines are becoming known to, and appreciated by, a larger international public. Large quantities are exported annually. The major vineyards are at Odobesti, Panciu, and Nicoresti, with a half-dozen or more other major centres. Both white and red wines have won various international awards.
At an altitude between 1,000 and 1,600 feet (300 and 500 metres), orchards are found on almost all the hillsides on the fringe of the Carpathians. There is specialization in fruits with a high economic yield. Orchards have solved problems of soil erosion on many unstable hillsides.
Livestock raising has a very long history in Romania. Sheep can be raised wherever grass is available, whether in the Alpine pastures or the Danube plain and valley. About half the cattle are raised for beef, which is important to exports.
| Environment |
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| Environment current issues: |
earthquakes most severe in south and southwest; geologic structure and climate promote landslides
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| Environment international agreements: |
Party to: Air Pollution, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
| Strategic Position: |
Strategic location astride main land routes between Western Europe and Balkan Peninsula as well as between Ukraine and Mediterranean basin
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Geography