Message from Romania’s Interim Minister of Agriculture, Florin Barbu, to Farmers and Processors

As his current term draws to a close, Romania’s Interim Minister of Agriculture, Florin Barbu, delivered a message of gratitude and reflection to the country’s farmers and agri-food processors.

In a summary of his mandate, Florin Barbu highlighted that between 2023 and 2025, the Ministry facilitated payments amounting to 22.4 billion RON—of which 21 billion RON came from European funds, 540 million RON from the national budget, and 3.2 billion euros were attracted from EU sources.

Barbu continued:

“Together, we have managed to withstand the many challenges that have tested Romanian agriculture over the past two years: soil drought, economic volatility, geopolitical pressures, and market access difficulties. I say this with pride and gratitude: thanks to your involvement and the trust you placed in the leadership of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Romanian agriculture has not only endured but moved forward.

Through constant dialogue with you—the producers who ensure Romania’s food supply—we have taken the right measures: we increased subsidies, launched state-guaranteed credit programs, compensated for drought-related losses, and secured European support to defend our farmers’ interests.

We reopened and expanded irrigation systems, initiated investments in processing and livestock farming, and simplified access to European funding. The years 2024 and the beginning of 2025 have been years of reconstruction. Of consolidation. Of investment.

But above all, they have been years of partnership between the government and farmers. This publication is dedicated to you—the people who work tirelessly to feed the entire country.

It reflects the projects we have undertaken together and the path Romanian agriculture is now on: a path toward a modern, competitive sector, properly supported by the state and respected across Europe.

Thank you for being my partners during these past two years, in which agriculture remained at the core of every decision we made. It was an intense term, full of challenges—but also marked by concrete progress.

Romanian agriculture continues to need coherence, respect, and stability. I have full confidence that what we have built together provides a solid foundation on which to keep building—in support of those who cultivate the land, raise livestock, process, export, and ensure this country’s food security.