Bulgaria: Grain and Feed Annual

FAS Sofia expects Bulgarian grain and feed production to rebound in marketing year (MY) 2021/22. As of mid-March, winter grain development is off to a promising start. Wheat and barley production is projected to reach up to 5.9 million metric tons (MMT) and 580,000 metric tons (MT), respectively, assuming favorable weather through harvest. Encouraged by higher corn prices, Bulgaria’s corn area is forecast to remain stable or increase marginally. Corn yields are forecast to recover after hot and dry conditions in MY 2020/21, leading to production to increase to 3.6 MMT. MY 2020/21 exports have lagged behind previous season due to the weather-related drops in production, higher on-farm storage, and unstable export demand. Currently, wheat and corn exports are estimated at around 3.0 MMT and 1.5 MMT, respectively, a cumulative year-on-year decline of over 40 percent. Feed use is likely to grow later in the season along with the recovery of Bulgaria’s swine inventory.