After three consecutive years of hot and dry conditions, Bulgaria is expecting an increase in rapeseed and sunflower seed production in marketing year 2025-26 due to more favourable weather and increased planted area, according to a report from the Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the US Department of Agriculture.
The FAS projects this year’s sunflower seed production at 2 million tonnes, up 22% over last year’s output, and sees rapeseed production reaching 240,000 tonnes, a 25% increase over the 2024-25 crop.
“There is potential for even further increases in average yields and production for rapeseed compared to last year if favourable weather continues until harvest starts in June,” the FAS said. “Expectations for the sunflower crop are highly dependent on the summer weather in July/August, but a recovery is expected following a record-low crop in 2024-25.”
The Bulgarian Ministry of Agriculture recently revealed that more than 90% of the fields for winter crops are in good-to-excellent condition, with rapeseed yields expected at 3% above the five-year average and 5% higher than in 2024-25, and sunflower yields forecast at 2% above the five-year average and 23% higher than last year.
It noted that the rapeseed area grew by 51% compared to the previous year.
Bulgaria ranks among the top four sunflower seed producers in the European Union.