The coronavirus outbreak caused agriculture and food issues to be seen more vitally while triggering a process called 'food nationalism' by some experts. EU member Romania first banned the import of many strategic agricultural products outside the Union, and then stepped back after strong reactions.

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) epidemic, which has taken hold of the world in a short time, continues to give expected and unexpected results. The panic atmosphere triggered by the epidemic affected Romania, like many food manufacturers. The Balkan country, which declared a state of emergency after the epidemic, has banned the export of many agricultural products, including wheat, barley, oats, rice, soybeans, wheat flour, sugar, and sunflower in the middle of April, amending the grain export regulations. Within the scope of the regulation amendment, restrictions were imposed on exports also to the EU members. Accordingly, member countries can import these products from Romania only if they prove not to import them outside the Union. Stating that the decision was taken to protect the country's food stocks, Romanian Prime Minister Ludovic Orban went further and threatened to seize food stocks. "The country can be left without wheat because of the greed of some grain owners," he said. The European Commission was not late to react to the move on the amendment of the regulation, which is considered among the developments reflecting the panic atmosphere in the world. EU Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski said, “The Commission does not have any information, which indicates that Romania is facing or will soon face shortages of agricultural products intended for human consumption. The reported measure appears to be not proportionate.” Romanian farmers also reacted to the amendments to the regulation. During talks between the government and grain traders, it was stated that the country had products at a level that would ensure the food safety of its population until the next harvest. After the reactions of the Romanian farmers and traders and the European Commission, Bucharest took a step back and canceled the regulation. The canceled ban would primarily affect the North Africa and Middle East regions, which are net grain importers. Romania, which had a total grain production of 26.9 million tons in the 2018-19 season, is among the top grain producers in Europe. The country is also home to Europe's largest grain planting area with 57 thousand hectares. Wheat and corn are produced four times as much as domestic consumption in the country with a population of nearly 20 million. However, due to the insufficient grain storage capacity in the country, these products must be exported before decay.