Bulgaria’s corn, wheat exports surge as autumn plantings wrap up

Exports of Bulgarian corn and wheat have continued to surge through to the year end, with data from the agriculture ministry showing corn exports up 92.4% and wheat exports up 10.7%.

Wheat, the country’s main agricultural export, had reached 1.38 million mt of exports from the Black Sea port of Varna as of December 24, versus 1.25 million mt from the same port over the same July to December period in 2016.

That represents a 10.7% increase on the previous year, according to the data published early on December 29, and comes despite stiff competition most notably from Russia where wheat harvests and exports looks set to smash records.

Government data published in the previous week provided the final update on Bulgaria’s wheat plantings, which are marginally higher than the total 2016 area – 1.1 million hectares for 2017/18 versus 1.09 million ha in 2016/17.

Bulgaria produced 5.75 million mt of wheat in the 2016/17 harvest, following a 10% increase in the country’s yield.

Maintaining its current output levels on a slightly enlarged acreage could see the country’s wheat crop produce between 5.77 million mt on unchanged yields, up to 6.35 million mt should a 10% improvement in yield be attained. However, local market sources told Agricensus that they anticipate the country’s harvest to be largely unchanged.

Corn exports, meanwhile, have surged 92.4%, albeit from a markedly lower base, to top 291,964 mt between September 4 and December 24, according to the data, with much of the volume heading into neighbouring countries such as Greece.

Barley and sunflower exports have also surged, with sunflower up 135% and barley up 523%.