Over 6 million tons is the expected harvest of wheat for 2024. This was announced by the Minister of Agriculture and Food, Dr. Georgi Tahov, who launched the harvest campaign within the "Bread of Peace" initiative. in the land of the village of Zlatitrap, Plovdiv region.
He specified that according to preliminary data, the estimated production will be between 6.1 - 6.3 million tons for wheat and over 800 thousand tons for barley. Minister Takhov added that the areas expected to be harvested this year with wheat are nearly 11 million decares, and those with barley - about 1.6 million decares.
„The bread balance in our country will be ensured. The favorable climatic conditions at the moment give us confidence that the quality of the harvest will be at a high level, he said categorically.
According to him, a jump in the price of bread is not expected based on the expected yields, which will be over 500 kg/ha.
Regarding the purchase prices of wheat, Minister Takhov clarified that these are exchange prices.
„What we do through the regulatory mechanisms is to pay compensatory payments regularly and on time to the grain producers and to the agricultural sectors. This undeniably supports their liquidity“, added the Minister of Agriculture.
He clarified that in the grain storage warehouses in the country there is a free volume of about 80%, so "there will be no worries about harvesting and storing the new crop”, Dr. Takhov also said.
Minister Takhov stated that our country continues to be a significant factor in the international grain food market, exporting wheat to over 30 countries.
„Bulgaria is a country with agrarian potential, which I am sure will continue to develop in the future”, he added. Regarding the grain import quotas from Ukraine, he expressed hope that they will be preserved.
„I hope we will get the answer to this question at the upcoming Council of Ministers of Agriculture in Brussels”, he also pointed out.