The Romanian feed industry celebrated 50 years at the end of 2018. Since 1968, the year considered to be the inception of commercial feed milling in the country, the industry constantly grew for several decades, reaching a production record of 11 million tons of compound feed in 1990. The political, social and economic changes that took place in the 90s in Eastern Europe impacted the local livestock and feed sector, and production dropped drastically.
Due to vast agricultural land resources and thanks to private investments in the agricultural sector, Romania was able to slowly recover and reach for past years’ record crops, becoming a top producer in Europe for corn, wheat, sunflower, and rapeseed. With the changes from state to private ownership and due to modernization of their production facilities, several poultry and livestock integrated companies are now able to reach top performance in animal production. However, there was a gap in technical knowledge in the industry. This was true especially for the younger generation of nutritionists, veterinarians, and managers. USSEC has understood the growth opportunities of the Romanian livestock and poultry industries and has constantly provided technical programs for the local industry with the goal of developing relationships, demonstrating commitment to customers, and building a market for U.S. Soy.

Last year, the Romanian feed industry celebrated five years since the establishment of the Feed Association – ANFNC. USSEC played a role in supporting the events and connecting the newly formed organization with the European Feed Manufactures Industry Association (FEFAC).
The double jubilee was marked at the fifth ANFNC annual conference and memories are still vivid for the participants attending the past five years of association meetings. Today, the association is a professional platform, a hub where industry people can interact, discuss, and learn about opportunities, challenges, and solutions. During this period of time, several U.S. Soy grower leaders participated in the Romanian Feed Association’s annual conferences and successfully promoted U.S. soybeans.

The pivotal role USSEC played in the development of the Romanian feed industry is an excellent example of the commitment of U.S. Soy farmers to markets with important growth potential. Taking into account the large grain local production, the lack of protein sources and easy access to Constanta Port, the Romanian feed industry will continue to offer excellent opportunities for U.S. Soy exports.