Competitive Potential of Romania's High-Value Agrifood Products in External Trade

High-natural value zones provide high-value agrifood products, typically produced in small- size farms; consequently, their production and marketing are important, both, as a catalyzer to maintain and develop rural communities and as a source of multiple sustainable benefits incumbent on local economies and rural socio-economic development. The demand for these products in countries with different developing status is rapidly increasing along with income growth and diverse food and life styles adopted by the consumers. The scientific endeavor of investigation the domestic potential and evolution on the high-value agricultural market is useful to develop the strategy for increasing incomes of small-scale farmers to help them diversify from low-value unstable food into higher-value sustainable supplies on long-term. Among such commodities are livestock, dairy products, horticulture products including fruit and vegetables, berries and spices, mushrooms, wine. The present study focuses on the Romania's agricultural trade pattern and subsequent changes of the EU accession impact, analyzing dynamics and ranks in agrifood products sizes and values of the trade flows, by comparing accession trends to the previous period. The main results provide assessments of the competitive potential on external markets expressed by Romania's high-value agricultural products.