Bulgaria: Barley exports double as domestic demand shrinks

Bulgaria’s exports of new-crop wheat and barley doubled this year after Russia and Ukraine curbed grain sales as drought and bad weather damaged their crops, Radoslav Hristov, president of the Grain Producers Association, was quoted as saying by Bloomberg on September, 2.

The harvest and growing season, which is 100 percent complete, reaped some 3.7 million tons of wheat this year and 780,000 tons of barley, according to the agriculture ministry.

Bulgaria shipped abroad some 300,000 tons of barley as domestic demand shrank, Hristov said.

“High demand for barley abroad has practically depleted storages,” Hristov said. “Domestic demand for barley was very low this year as livestock breeders bought small amounts and beer breweries bought very little as their output has declined.”

Russia has banned grain exports to preserve domestic supplies after a drought. Ukraine said on Aug. 18 it will limit sales to foreign buyers.

03 September, 2010