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Corn: Total exports draw an ascending trend

March 29, 2018 at 10:49 AM , Starry Night Ltd.
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SOFIA. Despise tough regional competition, exports are expected to continue their – sometimes slow, sometimes brisk – ascending trend. Agrometeorological conditions still not favorable for the start of sowing.

BULGARIA. Because of the recent showers and quick snow melting throughout the country, in the majority of regions, fields have ample supply of water. The higher than usual moisture reserves in fields generally will prevent farmers from entering plots to start sowing corn nationwide. It is vital for the optimal period of planting to be observed so that crops could develop at their fullest potential, ceteris paribus. Anyhow, the recent weather forecast predicts quite a sudden rise in temperatures, reaching as high as 22 Celsius degrees in places.

Corn: regional competitive forces influence local exports

Although there has been an ample supply of corn within the Black sea basin, the high-quality characteristics of local corn harvest 2017-18, made more alluring by regional competitive prices, have pushed up the export rate to EU markets. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, by the 23rd of March 2018, registered exports reached 689,557 mt, which on a year-to-year basis stand by 8.81% higher than shipped quantities to the same destinations from last year by that time. Major markets of the EU are Greece, France, and Spain, among others.

       Harvest 2017-18

(01.09.2017 - 23.03.2018)

           units in MT

Beginning availability

580,000

Aggregate output

2,315,387

Imports

10,460

Domestic consumption

730,000

   food & industrial usage

280,000

   Feed

450,000

Exports to the world

840,393

   to EU markets

   689,557

   to rest of the world

   150,836

Source: Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture

Even though expectations are for total shipped volumes abroad to go over 1 mmt in the following two months, total exports have been dented by a prevailing lower export rate to markets outside the EU. It has been a tough regional competition that continues to be the major challenge for local intermediary market players while exporting to countries outside the Union. On a yearly basis, exports to non-EU markets lag behind those of last year. A case in point, by the end of last week, according to local authorities, shipped volumes to markets outside the Union amounted to 150,836 mt, which stand by 13.50% less than those of last year by the same time. In the following month, the trend is not expected to speed-up its climb.

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