Wheat: The high quality crop, competitively priced, is boosting exports

August 31, 2017 at 7:06 AM , Starry Night Ltd.
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The downward price trend within the Black sea region seems to persist. Yet, local export activities are far away from reaching a ceiling soon!

SOFIA. Although this season, farmers harvested by 2.5% less wheat fields, this year’s output stands by 7.5% higher than that of harvest 2016-17. The most recent estimate of the Ministry of Agriculture, drawn on the 24th of August 2017, places the country’s aggregate output at 5,750,585 mt while the average yield stands at 5.25 mt/ha, which is 10.5% higher than that of last year.

Wheat: competitive prices boosted exports at a quicker rate

The higher quality crop this year, offered on the background of a persistent downward slide trend of prices in the Black sea region, skyrocketed exports so far in the marketing season. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, by last week, total exports reached 1,206,610 mt, as 1,047, 077 mt went to EU markets. By the end of the year, milling wheat could quite well be the focus of export activities because of its high quality content.

Consumption on the local market is also growing on a weekly basis, as by the 25th of the month, domestic demand accounted for 244,400 mt.

Harvest 2017-18

(01.07.2017 - 25.08.2017)

Carry over

   179,000 mt

Domestic output

5,750,585 mt

Domestic consumption

   244,400 mt

Exports to the world

1,206,610 mt

Source: Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture

Shipping via marine routes has been on the rise, as well. By the end of week 34, 705,035 mt of wheat were shipped via Varna seaport to foreign countries. The figure is by 23.6% higher than what the country exported by that time last year. More ships are lined-up for uploading. Turnover via Burgas seaport reached only 6,000 mt.

Forecasts are the recently harvested high quality crop to propel exports close to 4 mmt this season. Last year, shipments to foreign countries reached 4,168,623 mt.

Wheat, Bulgaria

Type

EUR/kg

milling wheat

0.141

feed wheat

0.134

EXW Bulgaria

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