Abstract:

The concentration of production in optimum size cooperatives, the diversification and specialization of agricultural production represent priority objectives at a European and national level. The association of agricultural producers, in various forms, can be a solution for the improvement of technological flows for the agricultural feedstock production, for the processing and selling of food products. The EU and national measures for supporting the association of agricultural producers led to the formation of an important number of producer organizations, having various organisational forms. Although, lately, it has recorded some progress, Romania occupies the last places in the European ranking regarding association in the agricultural domain. The paper proposes an analysis concerning the concentration degree of European and national agricultural association entities. The analysis regarding the concentration degree of agricultural cooperatives proved a high concentration degree at a European level and a low concentration degree in Central and Eastern Europe. As far as agricultural associations from Romania are concerned, there are significant discrepancies between counties and between the crop and animal production sectors. At a national level, there is a moderate concentration degree of producer organisations.
We recommend the implementation of a number of government measures, adapted to the particularities of Romanian agriculture, in order to support this sector and to arouse the interest of small agricultural producers in forming associations.