Bulgaria exports more wheat, largely to Spain

Bulgaria has exported 51,000 tonnes of wheat from its new crop, mainly to Spain, Italy and Portugal, and another 110,000 tonnes are being loaded, an official familiar with shipping data said on Thursday.
A surge in the wheat prices has boosted wheat exports from Bulgaria and the Black Sea country is expected to export about 115,000 tonnes of wheat this July, compared with 85,000 tonnes in the same month a year ago, the source told Reuters.
Severe drought and torrential rains have cut into crops in the major grain-growing region around the Black Sea, especially in major exporter Russia but also in Bulgaria.
The country's farm ministry has said the 2010 wheat crop will be around 3.5 mln tonnes, down from last year's 4 mln tonnes due to extensive rains that have damaged some of the fields and significantly decreased yields.
Farmers see the crop at about 3.3-3.4 mln tonnes.
Despite the expected lower harvest, farmers and traders say Bulgaria's wheat exports may match last year's exports of 1.4 mln tonnes, if demand remains high and prices attractive.
Some 48,000 tonnes of wheat bound for Spain are now being loaded at the Bulgarian Black Sea port of Varna, said the source, who asked not to be named as the data is not yet official.
Four ships are loading a total of 89,000 tonnes of wheat at Varna, including the grain bound for Spain, and a ship is loading some 33,000 tonnes of wheat bound to Portugal at the port of Burgas, two port officials said.
The Balkan country has already exported 17,000 tonnes of wheat to Spain, 14,000 tonnes to Italy and 10,000 tonnes to Portugal. Smaller amounts were shipped to Israel, Lybia and Cyprus.
The agriculture ministry declined to comment on Thursday on export potential or make a new forecast for the wheat harvest, expected to be completed by the end of next week.
Wheat exports have picked up as the price rose to 230 levs ($154) per tonne of feed wheat ex-farm and to 260 levs ($174) per tonne of milling wheat, Radoslav Hristov, chairman of the National Association of Grain Producers, said.
But the rains have hit the quality of Bulgarian wheat and the exports will be mostly of feed wheat, he said.