Romania is being noticed by the world's major landowners, given its upcoming EU accession, but also due to the accelerated "merger" of land into larger areas that can pique the interest of agricultural investors.
The famous Swarovski family is negotiating the takeover of several thousand hectares of agricultural land in western Romania, where it intends to launch several businesses.
Internationally, the Swarovskis are one of the largest landowners, with land and farms in Central and Latin America.
"Negotiations have not been completed, yet. The Swarovskis are interested in developing operations in the agricultural field, not in real estate," says Mihai Gales, general manager of Asi Nature based in Sibiu. A member of the Swarovski family has recently travelled to Sibiu, but talks are being carried by the two companies' management teams. Asi Nature owns and cultivates an area of 10,000 hectares of land and is the Romanian branch of another major landowner, the Swiss Asi Global, which holds ands and agricultural businesses on three continents. Asi Nature owns lands in the Romanian counties of Sibiu, Arad, Timis and Teleorman.
Land prices in Romania are still low as compared to Europe: 500 euros, an average price, is ten times lower than prices levied in Western countries. The top transactions have so far been concluded in the western region of Romania and in Transilvania, which are close to the countries of Italian, German and Austrian investors, but also because, in those areas, the legal situation of land is much clearer than in the rest of the country.
The main foreign investors having acquired land in Romania are by far the Italians. The ranking is dominated by a group of Italian investors who have acquired 30,000 hectares in Transilvania. They are followed by an Austrian investor, Andreas Bardeau with businesses in the Spanish constructions sector as well and who has already bought an area of above 20,000 hectares in western Romania, where he has also built a castle for himself.
Last week, the Austrian Gerald Schwighofer, owner of Holzindustrie Schweighofe, with businesses in the wood industry, announced he planned to buy several thousand hectares of forest in Romania.
stelian.negrea@zf.ro
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