Bulgaria may harvest record sunflower harvest this year

In 2025, the area sown with sunflower in Bulgaria increased by 67% compared to last year to 985 thousand hectares, which, against the background of favorable weather conditions, allows us to hope for a historically large sunflower harvest, although some farmers have more pessimistic estimates.

 

Experts predict that the sunflower harvest will reach 1.8-2 million tons (1.4-1.5 million tons in 2024), even despite isolated cases of damage to crops by heat. At the same time, some farmers estimate the harvest at 1.2-1.3 million tons. However, analysts consider such statements to be exaggerated and conditioned by expectations of compensation from the state.

 

Local processors have already adapted to volatile market conditions and have begun processing various types of oilseeds, including soybeans and rapeseed, and have even imported canola from Canada to meet their needs.

 

Sunflower prices in Bulgaria are lower than in Ukraine, so processors offer cheaper oil on the EU market, and this season prices for refined bottled sunflower oil in EU retail chains were sometimes lower than offers from Ukraine, especially at the end of the 2024/25 MY.

 

According to forecasts, the Russian Federation will also harvest a record sunflower crop of 18 million tons, which will increase pressure on sunflower oil prices in the Black Sea region.

 

The situation on the wheat market in Bulgaria is also positive. Farmers have harvested 7.1 million tons of high-quality grain, although they complain about falling prices caused by an oversupply.

 

Currently, the Bulgarian agricultural sector is faced with the need to adapt to global market realities. Farmers need to manage their farms more effectively and participate more actively in international events to increase their competitiveness. After all, those who cannot adapt to new conditions will not survive in the market amid increasing competition.