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Rapeseed: Quietude on the export fronts

November 16, 2017 at 2:01 PM , Starry Night Ltd.
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SOFIA. Exports lag behind on a yearly basis. Weather conditions favor the development of crops

BULGARIA. By the 9th of November 2017, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, estimates of sowed acreages of the crop reached 168,439 ha. Rapeseed is one of the locally grown crops that experiences strong local demand during harvest time since the bulk of it is quickly exported by the end of the same year. The great majority of the grains customarily go to EU markets.

Rapeseed: sluggish trade activities

According to local authorities, the most recent estimates of harvest 2017-18 placed aggregate output at 458,110 mt, toppling from last year’s production level by 10%. Exports started early in the marketing season, but they have recently reached a plateau.

The strong output within the countries of the EU and the bumper production from Ukraine for the current marketing year have exerted pressure on local prices since early in the season and have throughout influenced export rates. A case in point, by the 12th of the month, via Varna seaport were shipped out to the world only 133,597 mt, while those of last year that time reached 193,215 mt. Domestic demand goes up by a few metric tons per week.

      Harvest 2017-18

(01.07.2017 - 10.11.2017)

           units in MT

Beginning availability

25,000

Aggregate output

458,110

Imports

27,655

Domestic consumption

30,400

   oil & biodiesel production

30,400

Exports to the world

352,561

   to EU markets

331,265

   to rest of the world

21,296

Source: Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture

Favorable weather conditions

For the past few weeks, weather conditions throughout the country have been milder – air temperatures reached as high as 17-18 Celsius degrees in some regions. Such higher temperatures, registered over a longer period of time, warmed up the upper layer of the soil and as a result favored the development of local crops – even fastening their growth. Overall, crops’ conditions look good. The weather forecast for the upcoming several days is mainly for precipitation all over the country, with agro-significant rains over the weekend. Rains are expected to replenish and maintain sufficient levels of soil moisture in some regions. Later in the month, temperatures are expected to fall, as in some places even reaching below zero, which is expected to slow down the vegetation process of crops.

 

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