Barley: Farmers refused to enter in a battle for acreages
May 11, 2018 at 1:40 PM ,
Starry Night Ltd.
Barley: Not in for a battle of acres this year
BULGARIA. The most recently released data by the Ministry of Agriculture places aggregate production from harvest 2017-18 at 599,457 mt. On a yearly basis, the number represents a drop of 14.09% in output. The lower result was expected since in recent years, because of tough regional competition, local farmers have refocused their cultivation strategies towards more profitable crops such as rapeseed and wheat, for instance.
Harvest 2017-18 (01.07.2017 - 04.05.2018) units in MT |
|
Beginning availability |
22,000 |
Aggregate output |
599,457 |
Imports |
5,314 |
Domestic consumption |
291,000 |
beer production |
65,500 |
feed |
195,500 |
seeds |
30,000 |
Exports to the world |
311,828 |
to EU markets |
259,432 |
to rest of the world |
52,396 |
Source: Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture
For the upcoming harvesting season, combines are expected to enter fields of even lesser planted area with barley than they did during harvest 2017-18. Directly influencing the local supply, farmers hope the market will favorably value the grain. However, the unfavorable weather conditions of a month ago could actually decrease the expected output even further. That will definitely have an impact on prices, but an impact on yields and quality is not out of the question, at all. Later in the month, comprehensive results, reflecting the conditions of the fields throughout the country, for fallen-through areas will become available.
Will the sign “organically produced” invite in more foreign buyers?
As much as the profit motive stands behind the reduction of planted acreages for conventional barley on a yearly basis, so much it has encouraged farmers to invest in organic agriculture. In recent years, it has become apparent that barley is one of the locally grown grains that is among the selected choice for being organically cultivated. In some regions, the harvest of barley will start approximately in the middle of next month. Soon, the prices of organically cultivated local barley will test the pulse of the market.