Romania could harvest record wheat crop this year
Romania could harvest a record 13.86 million tonnes of wheat in 2026, supported by favourable rainfall, record sowing area of 2.35 million hectares and projected yields of 5.9 tonnes/hectare. Regions near Port of Constanta showed strongest gains despite weather risks.
Romania could harvest a record 13.86 million tonnes of wheat this year, provided that moderate rainfall remains in the country over the next three to four weeks before the start of the harvest and there are no significant losses due to bad weather, according to the results of an Argus field trip.
According to the agency, the potential for harvest has increased significantly over the past two months. Argus came to these conclusions after talking to farmers during a trip to the main wheat-growing regions of Romania in early June.
Argus’ forecast is based on an average yield of 5.9 tonnes/hectare. Together with last year, this is only the second time in the country’s history that wheat yields have exceeded 5 tonnes/hectare. At the same time, the 2026 figure is at the upper end of the long-term trend of yield growth observed in Romania over the past decade.
The biggest yield increase compared to the 2021-2025 average is expected by producers in the southeast of the country, near the port of Constanta. This year, these regions, where the largest areas under wheat are concentrated, have received significantly more precipitation than western Romania.
In the southern and eastern regions, soil moisture reserves after the winter were significantly higher than average. Melting snow has additionally replenished water reserves, and in some places even caused local flooding.
In the west of the country, particularly in Timiș and Arad counties, which border Hungary and Serbia and provide about 12% of Romania’s wheat production, the return of rains in late May helped restore moisture supplies after a very dry March and April, when some fields were already approaching aridity.
The wet weather is forecast to continue for another two weeks. Meanwhile, relatively low temperatures are delaying the start of the harvest by at least a week in the eastern regions, where the grain is usually shipped first through ports.
Some farmers fear that hail and heavy rains could further delay field work and damage a potentially record harvest. At the same time, crops have generally resisted disease well this year, although lodging, especially on barley, could still pose problems before harvest.
The record harvest is also supported by record areas under wheat – this year they are estimated at 2.35 million hectares, which is in line with the Argus April forecast. This indicates minimal crop losses after sowing and during the winter period. Over the past four years, Romanian farmers have increased the areas under wheat, barley and rapeseed at the expense of corn and other spring crops.
At the same time, the situation with other crops is ambiguous. Due to heat waves in previous years, Romanian farmers have reduced the area under spring crops. The main corn crops are now concentrated in the east of the country, especially in the Breila county, where irrigation is widely used.
Moderate temperatures in 2026 had a positive impact on the state of sunflower and corn crops. Insect and bird damage were the main problems for these crops.
The prospects for rapeseed have also improved, although due to very late sowing in some regions, expectations for the harvest remain mixed. Some farmers had to wait until the last week of October to start field work after the rains, while in the west of the country rapeseed was sown as early as the end of August. In some areas, very good yields are forecast, but in general, producers are skeptical about the chances of exceeding last year’s record rapeseed harvest.
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Source : Ukr Agro Consult
