Adrian Chesnoiu, a former minister of agriculture in Romania and currently a member of the agriculture committee in the chamber of deputies, has urged for proper training in agriculture as well as strategic investments in youth.
According to him, agriculture is building the economies of China and other European countries.
“I was reading a news story recently: the average annual income per capita in rural China rose to about USD3,000 in 2022. The international concern for rural development and investment in agriculture is evident,” said Adrian Chesnoiu.
“In the European Union, which is one of the world’s leading producers and exporters of agri-food products, more than 22 million people are regularly employed in this sector. However, there are countries like Romania with a shortage of agricultural labor,” the Minister added.
The Minister explained the reasons why Romania is facing labour shortage in agriculture.
Chseinou explained, “We all know that the main reasons why there are not enough employees in the sector are their migration to other EU countries for higher salaries, the aging of the population, and the reduced interest of the younger generation in working the land and rearing animals.
“This is proof that we need to reposition our approach towards investing in educating the younger generation to understand the importance of the sector and the benefits of working in agriculture.”