Economic Impacts of Genetically Modified Organisms in the Romanian Food Production

The use of genetically modified organisms in food production is a controversial problem that constitutes a concern for the scientific environment, the authorities and the consumers. The global food demand, in the conditions of limited farmland, led to the use of intensive agricultural systems, based on conventional crop productivity increase and genetic engineering biotechnological progress use. Global farmland surfaces, which are cultivated with GMO, have known a spectacular development in the last few years. The consumers 'attitude towards genetically modified foods is dependent on the economic conditions and on the media information, which are most often than not, inconsistent from a scientific point of view. The present paper proposes an economic analysis of the GMO's use in the national food production in the community and international context. When Romania joined the EU, the local farmland became less and less cultivated with genetically modified plants, fact that led to important economic loss for national economy. Although there are some restrictions regarding GM crops, the Romanian market is an important genetically modified fodder importer. From an economic point of view, the use of genetically modified organisms, if the biosafety criteria are obeyed, represent a solution for global food necessary coverage.