Bulgaria: Grain and Feed Market Update

FAS Sofia increases its estimate for wheat and barley crops to 7.2 million metric tons (MMT) and 700,000 MT, respectively, due to favorable spring weather leading to record yields. Hot and dry summer weather in July and August, however, negatively impacted the corn yields although it was good for the winter grains harvest. As of the first week of October, 73 percent of corn was harvested with production to date at 2.5 MMT. Grain exports have been higher than usual due to excellent regional demand. MY 2022/23 fall planting is lagging behind last year due to unusually rainy and cold weather at the end of September/early October preventing field work. Farmers are highly concerned about the fast-growing prices of inputs such as fuel, fertilizers, chemicals, planting seeds, etc., which is likely to increase production costs, create risks for insufficient inputs’ use and yields, and endanger farmers’ financial stability.