Source: APKinform (Ukraine)
Bulgaria is expecting one of the most difficult seasons for sunflower processors. This is due to the fact that the 2024 oilseed crop is small, low in oil, with a lot of impurities and low moisture content, which is causing problems for local processors, reports Oleoscope, citing information from Bulgarian market experts.
“I fear that the processing industry is facing its toughest year yet. And for the oil mills, the blow is very hard, because apart from the low product volume, the oil content is at least 3 points lower than in previous years, which means even lower oil production,” Bulgarian analyst Petar Dimitrov is quoted as saying in the report.
At the same time, the alternatives for importing oilseeds for Bulgaria are limited, as the problem with sunflower is relevant for all countries in the Balkan Peninsula.
P. Dimitrov added that the situation with the quality of corn in the country is also quite difficult this year, as the grain contains many aflatoxins and ochratoxins.
Earlier it had been announced that sunflower yields in Bulgaria had fallen to 1.55 tons/hectare, while farmers in Romania were expecting 1.45 tons/hectare. Compared to the previous year, which was also affected to some extent by the drought, oilseed yields fell by 16.2% in Bulgaria and 32.5% in Romania. A new USDA FAS/Sofia report expects the Bulgarian oilseed harvest for the 2024/25 marketing year to fall to a ten-year low due to the extremely hot and dry weather conditions in July and August.