Walnuts: Market participants agree

October 17, 2016 at 11:01 AM , Der AUDITOR
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SOFIA. If buyers of Bulgarian grown walnuts dare imagine that season 2016-2017 is already as strong as that of 2015-2016, they better continue reading.

The current walnut harvest in Bulgaria has been characteristic of quite surprising crop results, similarly exhibited by other countries in Eastern Europe and those of the North East. By now, almost all walnuts, regardless of Bulgarian and/or Turkish varieties, have been gathered, dried out, and are ready to be sold. Only several orchards in a few regions of the country have not yet been fully harvested, but that is due to bad weather. Yet, although the majority of the crops have been gathered, sorted out, and samples are being already shipped to foreign buyers, many local farmers cannot hide their disappointment in the current harvest. Early frosts and intensive rainfalls in the north and the middle of the country did not allow the buds of the walnut trees to preserve themselves in the blossoming period. As a result, the farmers in those regions collected not only much smaller quantities of walnuts, as compared to season 2015-2016, but are also sorting out the chaff to find the precious ones.

Shattered expectations
Such unexpected frosts and intensive rainfalls in parts of the country in spring surprised many farmers who expected a better harvest than that of 2015. Now, everyone is forecasting higher prices for organic walnuts. But even if the farmers rely on higher prices, the will not be able to cover their costs! Will the carryover of 2015 help to support them? Organic new crops in shells are trading in the range of 5.00 EUR/kg EXW. Organic kernels (mixed) are trading at 10.00 EUR/kg EXW.

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