Barley: Moisture reserves are crucial for success
May 24, 2018 at 12:41 PM ,
Starry Night Ltd.
BULGARIA. Harvest throughout the country is expected to start next month. It is beyond doubt that a necessary precipitation will improve the development of crops. Yet, as has become apparent so far in May, not all fields will be blessed with rainfalls!
Barley: Moisture of agricultural significance is highly needed is some places
Right now, a shortage of moisture in the soil is what troubles farmers in some fields. Rains have fallen – in places, showers have been of agricultural significance for crops, and the short-term forecast is for intermittent rains throughout the country. However, not all fields have been fortunate enough to receive substantial amounts of water nationwide. Some places have been only sprinkled within a period of two months: ‘just to clear the dust’ as a farmer from the Southeast region complained, ‘but not to provide the so necessary amounts of moisture.’ If such weather conditions persist in some fields, farmers will, not doubt, realize a weaker harvest. Soon the results will become clear.
|
Harvest 2017-18 (01.07.2017 - 18.05.2018) units in MT |
|
|
Beginning availability |
22,000 |
|
Aggregate output |
599,457 |
|
Imports |
5,314 |
|
Domestic consumption |
297,000 |
|
beer production |
67,500 |
|
feed |
199,500 |
|
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
Local demand influences planting strategies
Although a substantial part of locally produced barley is exported on an annual basis, many farmers seem to be more reliant on local consumption when planning their cultivation strategies for subsequent seasons. Throughout the past several years, the livestock sector in the country has taken a substantial blow, and therefore, consumption patterns of barley have drastically changed. As a result, such a change has necessitated local farmers to plant less, produce less and, as a consequence, to sell less quantities of the grain.
Domestically, barley is mainly used by the livestock sector, as up-to-date consumption amounts to 197,500 mt, followed by the beer production sector – 67,500 mt. Annually, the demand for barley for feed fluctuates by a few metric tons up or down, as by that time last year, the figure stood at 185,800 mt. Since local supply could well satisfy local demand, the rest will be exported. Harvest 2018-19 is expected to be even lower.
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