Bulgarian oil extraction plants are experiencing an acute shortage of raw materials

and 10 stotinki. “In August 2021, the wholesale price was 3.15 leva, in 2023 – 2.80 leva, in 2024 – 2.79 leva, and now it’s back to 3.15 leva,” Yanev stated. Against this backdrop, other food products have risen in price by 30-70%. However, according to the expert, this stability doesn’t reflect the real situation. Producers are facing a sharp increase in raw material and processing costs, making their business unprofitable. The main problem facing the Bulgarian industry is a severe shortage of raw materials despite significant production capacity. Droughts in recent years have reduced the sunflower harvest, and oilseed export bans in producing countries have limited imports. As a reminder, Bulgaria harvested its lowest oilseed crop in the last ten years in the 2024/25 season due to extremely hot and dry summer conditions. “We have created capacity to process 4 million tons of sunflower seeds, but this year we produced only 1.6 million tons of oil,” explains Yanev. Bulgarian ...