View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Directory of Open Access Journals Scientific Papers Series Management , Economic Engineering in Agriculture and Rural Development Vol. 13, Issue 2, 2013 PRINT ISSN 2284-7995, E-ISSN 2285-3952 THE ANALYSIS OF THE POTENTIAL FOR THE ECONOMIC RE- LAUNCH OF CĂLĂRAŞI COUNTY Andrei Radu IOVA University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Calarasi Branch Romania, Phone: +0740450506, Fax: + 0242332077, E-mail:[email protected] Corresponding author: [email protected] Abstract The Romanian society being affected by the restructuring process, the economy of Călăraşi county has a potential to re-launch, based on the following strengths: agricultural potential, technical potential, water resources that can enhance the development of fish breeding, commercial, industrial and tourism activities on the Danube and inner rivers; the geographical position at the border and at the crossroads of the transit roads between Asia and East Europe; access to the navigable way. Calaraşi county being close to the Danube creates a remarkable tourist attractiveness, but insufficiently used. The big number of islands with a unique picturesque, the ramification of the main waters through unique braches, create both a natural scenery which involves relaxation but also good conditions for the sportive hunting and fishing. The present research analyses the natural, economic and human potential that Calaraşi county posses, starting from the premises that its agriculture constitutes a main sector in the occupied county economy (47.2%) as well the agricultural surface (84%) from the total county surface. Key words: active rural population, agricultural structures, county natural potential, employment rate, migration in the rural area Agriculture is the main economic activity. Its INTRODUCTION base is the agricultural area of 420,780 ha, respectively, 2.9% of the agricultural area of Calarasi is situated in South-East part of the country, the 8th place in size among Romania, on the left branch of the Danube, on counties. Of this area, 413,135 ha is arable the border with Bulgaria, the central part is land, respectively, 4.4% of arable land and intersected by the parallel of 44 ° north 5th place among counties (DARD Department latitude and the meridian of 27 ° east of Agriculture and Rural Development longitude. The county has 5,088 km2, Călăraşi, 2012) representing 2.13% of Romania's surface. The main natural wealth is the agricultural MATERIALS AND METHODS lands which occupy about 84% of the county surface (CJ Calarasi, 2012). For the study of rural realities of Călăraşi The industry is mainly focused on three specific research methods were used: manufacturing activities. Main branches dynamic economic analysis, deductive and represented in the county are: food and quantitative, SWOT analysis, economic beverage industry, textile, pulp and paper, survey or participative research that involves non-metallic mineral products industry, collecting information on site using the metallurgy and metal products, industry research techniques "questionnaire" and transport activities. In the manufacturing "interview". industry, the share is held by the food The study on analysis the economic potential industry, which in the first six months of of Călăraşi county had as starting point the 2011, contributed with 59.1% to the county's analysis and processing of data and industrial production, followed by textile information from the following sources: clothing industry, with 19.7%, pulp and paper Statistical Yearbook Călăraşi - Edition 2012 industry 9.8% and other non-metallic mineral Socio - economic profile of Călăraşi county, products by 4.2% (County Department of Romania's pre-accession economic plan, Statistics, 2012). statistical data of the Chamber of Commerce 199 Scientific Papers Series Management , Economic Engineering in Agriculture and Rural Development Vol. 13, Issue 2, 2013 PRINT ISSN 2284-7995, E-ISSN 2285-3952 and Industry and the County Agency of 7797059000 thousand in 2003 to USD Labour Force Training and Employment, 16,884,651,000 in 2005 and 2,041,731,000 Statistics of the Department of Agriculture RON in 2011 (County Department of and Rural Development; Călăraşi county Statistics, INS, 2012). Within the total Development Strategy, elaborated by the production, the share is held by crop county council, Publications of the National production, followed by animal production, Institute of Statistics and data obtained and agricultural services. following the questionnaire. The starting point in identifying potential % 350 development of the county was to analyze the 329,3 300 social, economic and institutional situation 250 that led to the identification of key issues the 200 193,7 177 county faces wit, and its potential in order to 150 158,3 105,4 103,2 127,2 100 98,4 98,7 103,9 102,4 77,1 99,3 90,9 66,9 72,7 establish strategic directions that support and 79,6 50 39,3 is in line with the general purpose the 0 development strategy at regional level. 2003 2005 2007 2009 2010 2011 The collaboration with local and county stakeholders allowed the development of a Total Vegetal Animal partnership vision of economic and social particularities of the county, identifying the problem tree and SWOT analyses. Figure 1. Dynamics of total agriculture sector The results obtained from the interpretation of production and sectors (previous year = 100) this set of data let to the elaboration of a research report, based on which action Of the total area of 292,154 ha, 112,895 ha directions were identified for business are operated in associative system, 93,609 development, human resources development, hectares are exploited and 85,650 ha lease development of local public administration; system are constituted as individual holdings. social services development. On land use categories, we note that the individual holdings of the 85,650 ha, 77,646 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS ha are arable land, 7,750 hectares are vineyards, 198 hectares are occupied by The immediate effect of the application of the pastures and meadows and 56 ha of orchards. Land Law in Călăraşi county agriculture, the Within farms of associative type (SA + SC + restructuring of the farming units by small AF) of the 112,895 ha, 112,777 ha is arable individual land prevalence has diminished land and 118 ha are covered with vineyards. positive implications of the privatization The same situation is met in companies process, generating an economic model less established by leasing land where, in the viable in terms of resources and efficiency . 93,609 ha, only 2 ha are covered with These structures determined high consume of vineyards and 5 ha of pastures 93,602 ha labour, which attract a trained unemployed difference, is arable land. Although in most labour force in other sectors of activity, in towns in the county te system of land agriculture, representing the small farmers operating is made by leasing and who produce for their own consumption and associations, such as localities: Cuza Vodă - for selling products on the agri-food market. 74% and 9% rented association, Lupşanu - Further on (Figure 1.) presents the evolution 78% and 14% leased association, Ulmu - 95% of production and agricultural services and its in association Ulmeni - 81% and 9% rented dynamics, on industry and sectors, during association and so on, there are localities 2003-2011, expressed in thousand lei prices where over 50% of the agricultural area is of the period. It is found out thus an operated in individual system, such as increasing trend of the total production from Căscioarele - 85%, Tămădău - 65% , 200 Scientific Papers Series Management , Economic Engineering in Agriculture and Rural Development Vol. 13, Issue 2, 2013 PRINT ISSN 2284-7995, E-ISSN 2285-3952 Belciugatele - 60%, Fundulea - 61% Budeşti - gender distribution is relatively normal: 59%, Frumuşani and Nana - 58% etc (DARD 49.0% men and 51.0% women, the same Calarasi). Given the current size of individual proportion as the national level. Further on farms in Romania, the rational use of land Below we will present the evolution of the lease requires stimulation of the partnership population employed in agriculture compared and ownership concentration by buying to other sectors of the economy, the Calarasi, farmland. where, with a continuing trend of steady The Legislation in force enables local increase employment (Figure 2) on the county in the size of farms and encourage land use economy as a whole (from 101,4 thousand directly by the owner or lessee persons to the end of 2003 it reached 101, 3 (http://www.scritube.com/economie/agricultur thousand persons in 2011), the agriculture a/). The aging of rural population, as well as developed specifically as a result of land the population in general has implications in privatization and inadequate technical many areas of agricultural structures, the facilities (County Department of Statistics, quality of labour resources, managerial INS, 2012). Significant changes occurred in leadership, organization of production, the the structure of the active population on type of technical progress. In terms of main activity sectors, but also within each sector demographic indicators, the population of separately. The number of persons employed Călăraşi county has a number of features in agriculture in the period 2003-2011, showed which give generally a balanced character to an accentuated decline from 56.1% to 47.3%. its structures and its evolutionary processes. In terms of industry and constructions, the Regarding the total population of the county, number of persons employed in these it is on a declining level from 341,631 activities had little oscillating evolution from persons in 1990 to 310,823 persons in 2011. 16.9% to 16.6% for industry and from 2.7% On the same level it is also situated the total to 4.1% for construction in the analysed population on average: urban-rural, so the period.