Grain trader Al Dahra is leaving Romania

Al Dahra Holding is ceasing grain trading in Romania, highlighting the difficulties international traders face in the crowded and competitive Black Sea market, Bloomberg reports.

According to sources familiar with the matter, the Emirati agro-industrial group plans to wind down local trading operations in 2026 after three consecutive years of losses. Al Dahra will continue to engage in agricultural activities and fertilizer production in Romania, according to the sources, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the company’s internal affairs.

Al Dahra’s departure signals a shift in market dynamics in one of the leading grain exporting countries in the European Union. International traders began to enter Romania in 2022, when trade flows in the region shifted, and the port of Constanta became a key transit hub.

However, as Ukraine regained access to the Black Sea route, shipments from Romania declined, leaving more traders competing for a smaller volume of grain. This has led to lower profits and higher costs for traders, according to Gabriel Razi, an analyst at Romanian consulting firm AgroBrane. Andersons Inc., an American grain trading company, stopped purchasing grain from Romania earlier this year.

“Trading has become a game of survival, where only the strongest survive,” Razi said by phone.

Al Dahra representatives did not respond to emailed requests for comment, and calls to the company’s headquarters in Abu Dhabi went unanswered on Tuesday. The Bucharest office requested inquiries be sent by email but has not yet responded.

According to the Romanian Ministry of Finance, the company’s trading division incurred losses of approximately 123 million Romanian lei ($28.1 million) between 2022 and 2024.

Al Dahra entered the Romanian market in 2018, acquiring Agricost, a company with a farm of over 50,000 hectares. The company pledged to invest $500 million. According to Al Dahra’s website, its Romanian grain trading division opened in 2020. It operates a joint venture with the Moroccan company OCP SA to supply fertilizers to Romanian farmers.

Tags: Romania, Al-Dahra