FAS: Bulgaria corn crop smallest in 12 years

The FAS said the 2024-25 crop was impacted by “intense summer heat and drought followed by adverse rainy weather during harvest.” “The quality of the crop also suffered and is reportedly uneven, with high variations of aflatoxin levels,” the FAS said. By contrast, Bulgaria produced bumper wheat and barley crops, with wheat posting its second highest total this century at 7 million tonnes, while barley output was the third highest since 2000 at 1.1 million tonnes. “Domestic consumption of wheat and barley in 2024-25 is increasing due to the substitution from corn for feed and for industrial use, which lowers exportable surpluses,” the FAS said. Because of this, wheat exports are lagging 10% behind last year’s level, with almost 80% destined for markets outside the European Union, the FAS said. Barley use is estimated to increase due to the growth in use for planting seeds, for beer manufacturing, and for feed, the report said. “Barley has been in higher demand by feed mills ...