The Balkan country has already sold some 570,000 tons of wheat, mostly to Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Spain and other countries in the European Union, Nikolov said in a phone interview in Sofia today. Farmers have reaped 4.26 million tons of wheat this year, exceeding last year’s crop of 4 million tons.
“The yield is higher this year, and the wheat crop is of much better quality than last year’s because of the better weather,” Nikolov said. “Wheat shipments are ongoing and will reach at least 2 million tons.”
Bulgaria has also exported some 260,000 tons of barley to the EU, even though the crop of about 685,000 tons this year was below last year’s 833,000 tons, he said.
Bulgaria sold some 1.59 million tons of wheat in 2010, according to the service. The country’s domestic grain consumption is about 2 million tons, which allows for further exports, Nikolov said.