April 9, 2012

Bulgaria sees lower 2012 wheat, barley crop production

After dry weather in autumn and cold snaps in the winter hit sowings, Bulgaria's wheat and barley crops are likely to be lower than a year ago, a senior agriculture official said on Friday (Apr 6).

The Balkan country reaped 4.3 million tonnes of wheat in 2011 and 670,000 tonnes of barley, a huge part of which was exported, mainly to Spain.

"With weather conditions improving and extensive fertilising, we expect a good crop. But it will be lower than a year ago," Emil Milanov, head of grains department at the agriculture ministry told Reuters.

He declined to give a precise forecast, saying a full survey of the fields in May would allow the ministry to estimate the barley and wheat crops.

Farmers however already forecast a 20% drop in the wheat harvest to about 3.4 million tonnes this year and a 30% drop in barley crop to 470,000 tonnes due to delayed planting and to "winter kill" damage to plantings.

"The situation is hard. The fields are in worse condition than last year," said Angel Vukadinov, chairman of the National Association of Grain Producers.

"Half of the rapeseed sowings are damaged by the extremely low temperatures in February, and the wheat and barley sowings have also taken a blow," he said.

A cold snap early this year as well as a drought in Spain, led Strategie Grains in March to cut its estimate for all EU winter grain harvests in 2012.

Milanov said a survey of the fields at the end of March showed some 68% of the wheat sowings were in good condition, down from 85% at the same time a year ago. Only 60% of the barley sowings were in good condition, 20% less than in the spring of 2011. About 10% of the barley sowings and 7% of the wheat sowings were damaged.

Harsh winter conditions have hit badly rapeseed sowings, damaging 50% of the sowings estimated at about 250,000 hectares. The ministry will extend compensation to farmers whose fields need to be replanted with spring sowings of sunflower seeds and corn.