SOFIA, BULGARIA — Favorable weather in April and May are expected to increase Bulgaria’s wheat and barley production in the 2021-22 marketing year, according to a Global Agricultural Information Network report from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).

The country’s wheat production is estimated to total 6.05 million tonnes in the 2021-22 marketing compared to the previous forecast of 5.9 million tonnes. Exports of wheat and products throughout February 2021 were 2.37 million tonnes, which, according to the USDA, marked a 45% decrease in wheat exports in the corresponding period the 2019-20 marketing year with a total of 4.23 million tonnes of wheat exports.

Bulgaria’s barley production in the 2021-22 marketing year is anticipated to total 590,000 tonnes. Unlike wheat, barley exports are up 8% to 290,000 tonnes throughout February 2021 compared to the same period in the 2019-20 marketing year with a total of 268,000 tonnes of barley exported.

Corn planting, however, was negatively impacted by cold, rainy weather that delayed planting. The USDA does expect planting to bounce back as international prices remain attractive. Bulgaria’s 2021-22 marketing year corn production is forecast to be 3.6 million tonnes. Corn exports slipped 47% October 2020 – February 2021 to 660,000 tonnes compared to the same period in the 2019-20 marketing year when exports reached 1.24 million tonnes.