Bulgaria Oilseeds Market Update – June 2025

Bulgaria Oilseeds Market Update – June 2025

Favourable Weather Supports Recovery in Sunflower and Rapeseed Production

🧾 Summary

The outlook for Bulgaria’s 2025/26 oilseed crops is promising, with higher planted areas and supportive weather conditions. Sunflower and rapeseed production is expected to rebound strongly from the poor 2024/25 season.

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📊 Market Overview

✅ Estimated 2025/26 Production & Area

Crop	Area (HA)	Avg.. Yield (MT/HA)	Total Production (MT)
Rapeseed	97,340 (+51%)	2.5 (est.)	240,000 (+50%)
Sunflower	~950,000 (+2%)	2.1 (est.)	2,000,000 (+25%)

• Rapeseed shows strong biomass accumulation; harvest begins in June.
• Sunflower planting is delayed but nearly complete; weather in July/August is critical.

🌦 Weather Conditions

• Rainfall and temperatures were mostly favourable, despite a cold spell in April.
• Soil moisture is adequate in most regions, except in parts of NW Bulgaria.
• NDVI and crop development indices are above average (see Graph 3, page 8).

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🏭 Processing & Trade Snapshot (as of May 30, 2025)

Rapeseed (2024/25 Marketing Year)

• Crush volume: 411,000 MT (+112% YoY) – driven by biodiesel sector.
• Imports: 458,712 MT (mainly from Romania, Moldova, Canada)
• Exports: 89,541 MT
• Ending stocks: 126,000 MT (+21%)

Sunflower (2024/25 Marketing Year)

• Crush volume: 1.31 MMT (−5% YoY)
• Imports: 685,973 MT (+49%) – largely from Ukraine, Serbia, Romania, Moldova
• Exports: 223,377 MT
• Farm stocks: 681,000 MT (+62%) – many farmers are holding back sales
• Farm-gate price (May): +24% YoY due to tight supply

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📉 Price Development

• Graph 1 (page 4): Shows monthly sunflower price increases, peaking in Jan–Mar 2025.
• Graph 2 (page 5): Compares Bulgarian ex-farm, EU FOB Bordeaux, and CIF export prices across 3 MYs (2022/23–2024/25). Prices rebounded significantly in 2025.
• Table 1 & 2 (page 5): Confirm trade volumes and final production for MY 2024/25.

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📌 Commentary

Bulgaria’s oilseed sector appears to be on a recovery track, particularly for sunflower, which was hard hit last year. High import volumes for both rapeseed and sunflower reflect continued processing demand, while elevated farm stocks suggest producers are waiting for better prices. Favourable weather and crop conditions could result in even higher yields than current forecasts if July and August bring normal weather. However, concerns about summer heat and dry spells remain a key risk.

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📈 Market Outlook & Strategy

• Short-term: Monitor weather closely in July–August. Any heat/drought events could limit upside.
• Mid-term: Larger domestic harvests in Q3 2025 may ease import reliance and stabilise prices.
• Strategy:
  • Processors should remain diversified across sunflower and rapeseed.
  • Exporters may benefit from stronger crush margins and higher by-product availability.
  • Importers could face a shift toward local supply post-harvest; hedge positions accordingly.

Source: USDA