Bulgaria Grain And Oilseed Crops Solid
24 August 2006 Bulgaria is forecast to have good overall grain and oilseed crops despite unfavorable conditions in marketing year 2006/07. The dry Fall, winterkill, scattered rains in May and June, and hot, arid July did not depress yields below the average, and sunflowers are expected to perform better than in 2005/06, according to the US Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agriculture Service (USDA-FAS). Domestic supply is expected to be sufficient to cover local needs and leave more than enough stocks for exports for all major crops.
Wheat
The wheat harvest is finished on 99% of the planted area with average yields of 3.44 metric tons per hectare (MT/Ha). The highest yields were reported from areas of Dobrich, with 4.73 MT/Ha, Silistra, with 4.55 MT/Ha, Varna, with 4.34 MT/Ha, Razgrad, with 3.82 MT/Ha, Rousse, with 3.64 MT/Ha, Pleven, with 3.6 MT/Ha, and Turgovishte, with 3.53 MT/Ha.
This year harvest started on June 29, about 10 days later than usual due to rainy and cool weather in late May and early June. However, a favorable July allowed farmers to harvest in time, to properly store most grain, and even to export directly from the field to the port.
Wheat quality is reportedly not very good, with the first class milling wheat estimated at 20%, at most.
Barley
The barley harvested also is nearly 99% complete with a production to date at 515,000 MT. The reported average yield is 2.88 MT/Ha. Lost, non-harvested area is at 5.3%. Losses were a result of winterkill in January when the cold snap destroyed about 8,000 Ha. In the spring, farmers planted only 1,570 Ha of spring barley due to spring floods and low barley prices.
The reported quality so far is relatively good, as malting barley is only a small portion of the overall crop.
Maize
The 2006/07 maize area is estimated by USDA-FAS at 330,000 Ha. To date, the crop is developing well (although below 2005/06 levels) due to favorable May and June rains, especially in the Central North region, followed by the Northeast. The dry, hot summer and lack of rains in the South and Northwest regions will bring down the average maize yield for the country.
USDA-FAS estimates production at 1.2 million MT (MMT) to 1.3 MMT (compared to 1.5 MMT in 2005/2006) and average yield at close to 4.0 MT/Ha. The maize planted area is estimated at 330,000 Ha.
Sunflower
Sunflower continues to be a profitable crop for Bulgarian farmers. As a result, its area has steadily increased to reach about 700,000 Ha in 2006/07. Overexpanding of the sunflower area is considerable, and it is already negatively affecting the crop rotation, according to USDA-FAS. Diseases such as foma, fomopsis, and gray rust, especially in Central North Bulgaria, were observed during USDA-FAS field travel, which may be treatable with increased access to fungicides.
While yields are estimated to reach between 2.0 MT/Ha and 3.0 MT/Ha on average in North Bulgaria, hot weather and dryness in South Bulgaria will likely lower national yields. However, only a few fields were observed with a yield potential of less than 1.0 MT/Ha. The average yield for the country is estimated at 1.4 to 1.5 MT/Ha, and total output at 950,000 MT, which is higher than in 2005/2006 (935,000 MT, MinAg estimate).
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