According to the Agriculture Directorate of the European Commission, sunflower production in Bulgaria is expected to reach a 24-year peak of 2.08 million tons in 2017.
The forecast sunflower seed output in Bulgaria in 2017 is 15.7% higher year-on-year, which is the highest growth rate among EU Member States, the report of the Directorate for Agriculture and Rural Development. In 2017, sunflower production is expected to grow by 16.7% year-on-year to 2.6 tons per hectare, the Directorate said.
Wheat production in Bulgaria is expected to decline by 6.4% to 5.25 million tons in 2017 compared to the 24-year peak of 5.6 million tons produced in 2016. Wheat yield is expected to grow by 0.4% to 4.8 tons per hectare this year.
Bulgaria is expected to produce 2.8 million tons of maize in 2017, which is 25.4% more than in the previous year. The forecast maize yield is 25.1% higher in 2017 and is expected to reach 6.8 tons per hectare.
| Production in tons | Percent change | Yield in tons per ha | Percent change | |
| Sunflower seed | 2,082,000 | 15.7 | 2.6 | 16.7 |
| Rapeseed | 474,000 | -6.6 | 2.9 | -2.9 |
| Wheat | 5,247,000 | -6.4 | 4.8 | 0.4 |
| Barley | 580,000 | -18.7 | 4.3 | -2.4 |
| Maize | 2,783,000 | 25.4 | 6.8 | 25.1 |
Source: SeedQuest
