Considerations on the difficulty of reducing the trade deficit in vegetable products to Romania’s agri-food trade balance deficit

The paper aims to analyse the conditions in which Romania could become self-sufficient in fresh vegetables and potatoes. For documentation, data from the National Institute of Statistics on the areas cultivated with vegetables and potatoes, production, imports and exports of vegetables and potatoes and the degree of self-supply were used. Data provided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development on the financing of the vegetable and potato sector were analysed, as well as the eligibility conditions imposed on farmers for receiving different types of support. The trade deficit in vegetables could be reduced over time if large retailers reduced their rate of opening new stores, and vegetable and potatoes production and the degree of organisation in the supply chain increased. The financial resources allocated from the European Union budget and the national budget can contribute both to stimulating the organisation of farmers in the supply chain, and to making investments in greenhouses and solariums, in conditioning, storage and processing of vegetables and potatoes.