Challenges with the harvest: small sunflower seeds and low quality pose challenges for processors in Bulgaria.

In Bulgaria this year, there is a small sunflower crop of low quality, containing many impurities and having low moisture. Local processors are facing serious problems as confirmed by market experts.

Analyst and founder of a Bulgarian industry publication, Petr Dimitrov, expressed concerns that the processing industry will face a difficult year. Especially for oil plants, as the oil content in sunflower is several points lower than in previous years, meaning oil production will be reduced.

Import alternatives have been explored for some time, but they are limited as the sunflower quality issue exists in all Balkan countries.

Dimitrov noted that there is also a challenge with the quality of corn this year due to high levels of aflatoxins and ochratoxins.

Earlier, it was announced that sunflower yields in Bulgaria had decreased to 1.55 tons per hectare, and in Romania, it is expected to be 1.45 tons per hectare. Compared to last year, which also suffered from drought, yields decreased by 16.2% in Bulgaria and by 32.5% in Romania. A new report from the USDA Ministry of Agriculture FAS/Sofia predicts a reduction in oilseed crops in Bulgaria for the marketing year 2024/25 due to extreme heat and drought in July and August to the lowest levels in a decade.