Romania's honey crop rises by 7,000 tonnes as acacia harvest doubles

Romania's honey harvest has risen by 7,000 tonnes compared with last year, bringing the national crop to an estimated 15,000-17,000 tonnes, according to the Beekeepers' Association of Romania (Asociația Crescătorilor de Albine) in comments carried by Știrile Pro TV. The association put last year's output at less than 10,000 tonnes, which makes the current season an increase of more than half in a single year.

Răzvan Coman, president of the Beekeepers' Association, said the national figure sits “somewhere around 15,000-17,000 tonnes”. Mild weather is cited as the main reason. Sara Talpoș, a beekeeper quoted by the same broadcaster, said temperatures were very favourable and that the climate and rainfall supported nectar formation in the flowers and, in turn, the honey that was collected.

Acacia honey drives the rebound

The recovery is concentrated in acacia honey, the segment that collapsed in the previous season. “If we look only at acacia honey production, we can say it is even 100% higher, because last year acacia honey was almost non-existent,” Coman said. Acacia is Romania's flagship monofloral line and typically commands the highest farm-gate prices, so a swing of this size in a single variety moves the arithmetic of the entire national crop.

Individual results vary widely. Some beekeepers have doubled their output versus last year, Știrile Pro TV reported. That dispersion matters commercially: operators who lost the acacia flow in 2025 and recovered it this year are facing an entirely different cash position from those whose yields moved only marginally.

Farm-gate prices move lower

With volumes up, the association expects prices to hold flat or decline. The price points reported from the field point to the second outcome, at least for acacia.

• Viorel Popa, a beekeeper with 500 bee colonies who sells online, is asking 50 lei per kilogram for acacia honey, down from 60 lei in 2025.
• Popa said prices are running lower than last year, especially for acacia, by around 20-25%.
• Alexandru Popa, another beekeeper, said acacia prices have already fallen and expects 36-40 lei per kilogram over the next two months.

If that range materialises, acacia honey would be trading roughly a third to 40% below the 60 lei level of 2025. Not every producer sees the same picture: Sara Talpoș told Știrile Pro TV that prices in her operation remain unchanged, an indication that direct-sales channels and bulk delivery are diverging.

Domestic demand and the import bill

Consumption is growing, but from a low base. Data from the National Institute of Statistics (INS) cited in the report show a Romanian ate 1.3 kg of honey last year. At that level of per-capita intake, a crop of 15,000-17,000 tonnes leaves a substantial volume to be placed through exports, processing or storage rather than absorbed at home.

Romanian producers do sell abroad, yet the country remains a net buyer in value terms on this product: INS data show the value of honey imports climbed to more than 17 million euros in 2025. The combination of a sharply larger domestic crop, continued inbound flows and softer farm-gate quotations sets up a buyer's market for packers, processors and traders working the Romanian origin this season.