In mid of 2017, when all world is facing low supply garbanzo beans, Bulgaria comes with significant production number of approx 40,000 MT . Turkish Traders and global trading companies stayed for long period in search of quantities. Last year on one day farmers confirmed sale of cargo ready in their farms, another day a new trader come & bid high prices for same lots with ready cash payment, after saw big demands and win a lot money , resulting farmers finally plan to seed more for 2018 crop , similar to other global origins.
For 2018 crop Seeding started in March and continued till April, roughly seeding done in 60,000 Hectares, compared to 20,000 hectares of 2017. Farmers planted different varieties of seeds Mexican, Azkan & Argentina as per availability.
In starting the farms are dry and no rains, it affects the first stage of plant development, resulting less height of plant as well as low pods formation. Crop planning to harvest in August, But in mid of July huge rains started in Bulgaria & continued for 10-15 days.
So earlier crop faced a dry weather resulting low yields and later continue rains make the pods moulded as per picture attached
In first week of August Temperature is 32⁰C & many farmers start harvesting, but because of moisture in fields as well as wet stem of plant, resulting chickpeas harvested with 20-30% moulded grains as per picture attached
Majority of farmers harvest their crops & got moulded grains lots , only few farmers decide to stop harvest until farms and plant stems dry completely.
Finally area increased, but yields seems low to average of 1.2 – 1.4 MT/ Hectare compared to last year yield of 2.2 -2.5 MT/ Hectare, So total production seems 80,000 MT with many lots of moulded grains. Important is to find, non moulded cargo lots from Bulgaria this year.
3 big farmers, have their well equipped farms & planted garbanzo beans in 15,000 hectare, they expecting low yields as well, though they not started the harvest until farm & plants dried completely.