Bulgarian Grain Producers Forecast Weaker Yields of Sunflower and Maize This Year

Bulgarian grain producers are forecasting weaker harvests of sunflower and maize this year, as prolonged drought and record-high temperatures continue to take a toll on agriculture across the country. Farmers warn that yields are expected to be significantly lower than average.

“The sunflower harvest has begun across almost the entire country. Yields range between 100 and 200 kilogrammes per decare, and in some areas even below 100. As for maize, the harvest will not start until the coming weeks, but expectations there are also for very low output. In some regions, there will be no yields at all. Many colleagues have even ploughed under what they had sown. In other regions, the yield may reach about 200–300 kilogrammes per decare,” said Iliya Prodanov, Chairman of the National Grain Producers’ Association.

Harvest levels remain similar to last year.

“Compared with the previous year, we will probably see yields at identical levels. However, this is by no means the country’s average, nor typical for each region. In the past ten years or more, we have not experienced two consecutive years with such severe drought,” Prodanov commented.