Bulgarian barley: sluggish local trade
May 31, 2017 at 9:01 AM ,
Starry Night Ltd.
Farmers to harvest smaller acreages this year
SOFIA. Barley seems to have lost position in the cultivation strategies of local farmers. According to the Agricultural Ministry, by the 18th of May 2017, available for harvest plots stood at 129,768 ha, which is 20.4% less than available plots from season 2016-17. The drop on a yearly basis is drastic although average prices of closed deals, since the beginning of the previous marketing season, have been following an upward trend; starting from about 0.122 EUR/kg EXW and reaching as much as 0.139 EUR/kg EXW Bulgaria.
Exports seem to be inextricably linked to cultivation decisions
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, by the 26.05.2017, exports from harvest 2016-17 reached 373,796 mt. Most probably, this year’s exports will not be able to break the 400,000 mt level since remaining quantities will undoubtedly go to satisfy local demand before the new crop becomes available. For comparison, exports during harvest 2014-15, reached 550,000 mt while those of year 2015-16 were close to those of the previous year, according to the USDA report on Bulgarian grain.
By the 21.05.2017, exports via Varna seaport accounted to 17,379 mt, which is about 88.3% less than what was exported, via the same trade route, a year ago.
The table below provides a view of barley harvest 2016-17, as well as, its domestic and foreign development trends.
Harvest 2016-17 (beginning of harvest till 19.05.2017) |
|
Carry over |
4,900mt |
Domestic output |
693,565mt |
Domestic consumption |
294,400mt |
Exports to the world |
373,796mt |
Source: Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture
By the end of the fourth week of May 2017, remaining stocks stood at 45,990 mt.
Barley, Bulgaria |
|
Type |
EUR/kg |
feed barley |
0.138 |
CPT domestic port |