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Corn: A higher yield leads to a higher output

November 10, 2017 at 8:45 AM , Starry Night Ltd.
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SOFIA. The higher yield this season is already leading to a higher aggregate output. The lower prices are already leading to lower realized margins.

BULGARIA. On an annual basis, local corn is mainly exported to EU countries, which total output this season is forecasted to reach 59.59 mmt or just 1.51 mmt lower than that of last year, according to the recent USDA report on World Agricultural Production. There is no doubt the country will realize a higher output during harvest 2017-18, but local prices, starting quite low at the beginning of the marketing season, yet remain ‘too competitive’ for local market sellers to realize higher margins.

Corn: a higher output ahead

During the recent harvesting season, farmers combined fields under favorable weather conditions, with the exception of a few days when hailstorms hit and leveled a few corn fields to the ground within the Northwest and Central North regions of the country. Farmers have realized higher output because of a stronger yield, on the background of somewhat lower available acreages for harvest this season.

According to local authorities, by the 2nd of November 2017, estimated combined acreages came to 92.3% out of 418,126 ha total available corn land for harvest. By that time, farmers reported collecting an aggregate output of 2,251,970 mt; last year’s total national production reached 2,226,094 mt.

Internal market division on consumption basis

Throughout a year, the majority of the grain usually goes for feed usage. Preferences for corn use as a feed crop for the animal sector are substantially influenced by the dynamics of the wheat market. So far in the marketing year, exports of wheat have been at record levels and projections are for the same to keep the momentum strong, at least, during the medium-term.

Harvest 2017-18

(01.09.2017 - 03.11.2017)

          units in MT

Beg. availability, incl. carry over & imports

2,832,134

Domestic consumption

230,000

   food & industrial usage

80,000

   feed

150,000

Exports to the world

481,783

   to EU markets

387,864

   to rest of the world

93,919

Source: Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture

Secondly, corn is used by the starch industry and by the ethanol production sector. During the previous marketing season, corn for feed use reached 807,000 mt while that for food & industrial usages came to 456,000 mt, according to local authorities.

Corn, Bulgaria

Crop

EUR/kg

Corn

0.137

EXW Bulgaria

 

 

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