Big traders export 800m euros' worth of grain

The world's grain giants, such as Alfred Toepfer, Cargill, Glencore and Bunge last year reached 800 million euros in exports from the Romanian market, 30% more than in 2009.

The top five grain exporters in Romania in 2010 were Alfred Toepfer International (Netherlands), Cargill Agricultură (US), Glencore (Switzerland), Bunge (US) and Nidera (Netherlands), according to data of the Romanian Association of Agricultural Products Traders. 90% of all grain exports from Romania, are accounted for by multinationals.
"In terms of volume, the growth of exports was small, from 4.3 to 4.4 million tonnes, but the value exceeded 800 million euros in 2010, compared with around 600 million euros in 2009, thanks to the price rise by up to 90% on international markets," said Victor Beznea, chairman of the Romanian Association of Agricultural Products Traders.
Grain exports have therefore come to account for over 2% of all Romanian exports, estimated at 36 billion euros in 2010 by the National Association of Exporters and Importers in Romania (ANEIR).
Whilst names such as Dacia and Nokia feature frequently in the export statistics of the last few years, as drivers of the exports market - Cargill and Alfred Toepfer continue to keep a low profile, despite being among the top exporters of consumer goods in Romania, according to ANEIR data. Contacted by Ziarul Financiar requesting information on the value of exports, the export destinations and the products exported, Alfred Toepfer representatives said the data were confidential, while Cargill and Glencore did not answer ZF's request.