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Bulgarian rapeseed: all eyes on the upcoming harvest

May 15, 2017 at 8:38 AM , Starry Night Ltd.
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With the new harvest approximately a month and a half away, trade of the old crop is sluggish as ever. The recent cold weather and small remaining quantities are not a factor in pushing prices up. Miniscule quantities traded on the domestic market.

SOFIA. Currently, the rapeseed is going through its blossoming period, which is expected to continue somewhat more than usually it does because of recent rains, which kept the soil wet. That is expected to push the usual start of harvest with a week or two forward.

Rapeseed: with the upcoming harvest approximately a month and a half away, where do to-be-harvested plots stand so far?

According to the Ministry of Agriculture, by the 4th of May 2017, fallen through rapeseed land accounted for 16,583 ha while to-be-harvested plots stood at approximately 168,764 ha. In comparison with last year’s arable rapeseed land, so far this year’s cultivated plots stood by only 0.4% less.

The strong harvest of 2016-17 boosted exports, which stood at about 97% of domestic output. Farmers expect even a better upcoming harvest. Soon, their expectations will be tested!

At least, the recently published USDA report projects harvest 2017-18 for the members of the European Union to be stronger by as much as 4.43% than the previous one.

Small quantities left, prices are nominal

Since the majority of the crop was exported some time after the end of harvest 2016-17, mainly to countries of Western Europe – 457, 266 mt, local trade has been sluggish at best. To the rest of the word, shipments of rapeseed accounted to only 33,505 mt.

Harvest 2016-17

(beginning of harvest till 05.05.2017)

Carry over

70,000mt

Domestic output

506,778mt

Imports

33,743mt

Domestic consumption

66,600mt

Exports to the world

490,771mt

 Source: Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture

So far, imports account for 33,743 mt while by the first week of May 2017, remaining quantities of rapeseed stood at 53,150 mt. No exports of rapeseed were registered in the first week of the month via Varna seaport while since the beginning of the season, via Burgas seaport, no rapeseed has been exported.

For the last month and a half, the average price was 0.357 EUR/kg CPT domestic port. Until the beginning of the new harvest, the market expects the price of the old crop to move closer to its ebbs rather than its ups for season 2016-17. On the green sales market all is quiet right now.

Rapeseed, Bulgaria

Crop

EUR/kg

rapeseed

0.356

CPT domestic port

 

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