Bulgarian farmers use Russian shelling of Ukrainian ports as reason to raise grain prices — trader

Some Bulgarian farmers are still relying on events like the bombing of Ukrainian ports to push up grain prices, instead of actively working with the market. Bulgarian vegetable oil and commodity trader Preslav Raikov told Latifundist.com.

“Excuse my bluntness, but I’ll be honest. Some local farmers are still relying on events like the bombing of Ukrainian ports to push up prices, and this is very problematic. Many are avoiding international industry events where they can meet buyers, processors, and logisticians. Ukrainian, Croatian, and Romanian farmers attend them — Bulgarians rarely do,” he said.

The trader stressed that the “military bonus” has been paid to farmers for the third year in a row, despite the reduction in the cost of fertilizers, fuel, seeds, and pesticides, as well as minimal imports from Ukraine. Some influential groups even advise their colleagues not to sell their crops below a certain price in order to maintain control over the market.

He recalled a case where a processing plant bought Canadian rapeseed, delivered thousands of kilometers away, cheaper than rapeseed from a farm a kilometer away. In his opinion, if farmers do not change their approaches, they will be squeezed out by more flexible competitors.

Preslav Raikov will be a speaker at the 11th International Conference BLACK SEA OIL TRADE, which will take place on September 23 in Bucharest! Join agribusiness professionals from 25+ countries for a powerful start to the new oilseed season!

Tags: grain, prices, wheat, rapeseed, war, Ukraine, Bulgaria