Bulgaria expects wheat harvest to be comparable to 2018 levels

SOFIA: Bulgaria's 2019 wheat harvest is expected to be similar to last year's crop of 5.8 million tonnes if the weather remains favourable in the next two and a half months, a senior official at the agriculture ministry said on Thursday.

"We can expect a normal harvest," Petar Kirovski, a state expert at the ministry, told Reuters, adding Bulgaria would be able to meet its domestic demand for wheat, which is about 1.8 million tonnes, and keep exports strong.

"We have had unfavourable weather in the last few months, the spring was dry with scanty rains. But the situation is now back to normal after the rains in the past two weeks."

Bulgaria is a net grain exporter and has shipped more than 3 million tonnes of its 2019 wheat production abroad so far. 90 percent has gone to European Union countries, mainly Spain and Italy.

"Given that the weather remains favourable in the next two and a half months, the wheat crop is expected to be comparable to last year's," he said.

The barley crop is expected to be around 450,000 tonnes this year, also matching 2018 levels, Kirovski said.