Bulgaria: Oilseeds and Products Annual

FAS Sofia expects Bulgarian oilseed production to rebound in marketing year (MY) 2021/22. As of late March, rapeseed development was off to a promising start with total production projected to reach up to 330,000 metric tons (MT), assuming favorable weather through harvest. Encouraged by record-high prices, Bulgaria’s sunflower area is forecast to increase. Sunflower yields are projected to recover after hot and dry conditions in MY 2020/21, leading to production’s growth to 2.0 MMT. MY 2020/21 exports of rapeseed and sunflower seeds have lagged behind previous season due to the weather-related production drop, higher on-farm storage, and increased domestic crush demand. Currently, rapeseed exports are estimated at 220,000 MT, a year-on-year decline of over 40 percent. Sunflower exports are estimated at around 900,000 MT, a decline of over 20 percent from the previous MY. Feed use is likely to grow and coincide with the recovery of Bulgaria’s swine inventory.