Farmers in Bulgaria are reporting strong and in some areas record sunflower yields this year, but industry representatives told BNT that higher production has not significantly increased their profits because of rising fertilizer, fuel and service costs.
They said the purchase price for sunflower is also remaining close to last year’s level, while cooking oil in stores costs more than it did at the same time last year.
Rainfall during the autumn and spring of the current agricultural year has affected the harvest. Yields in Dobrudzha and around Polski Trambesh are high, but sharply higher expenses have left producers with profits largely unchanged from last year.
Grain producer Nedyalko Statev told BNT that machinery investments, labor expenses and losses that need to be covered mean producers need both higher yields and prices to improve their returns. “There are investments in machinery and, overall, in labor costs. We also have losses to cover, so it would be good to see an average sunflower yield exceeding 300 kg. And a price of 500–550 euros, specifically for this crop, would be quite good,” Statev said.
Dimitar Dimitrov, who also works in the sector, said producers see little financial benefit despite the effort involved, while questioning how cooking oil prices are calculated. “The end result is calluses on our hands, yet the financial returns are meager. The price at which we sell sunflower seeds remains the same, while the price of cooking oil is higher. We find the pricing calculation method baffling,” Dimitrov said.
Data from wholesale trade shows the same price trend. The State Commission on Commodity Exchanges and Markets puts the price of a liter of cooking oil at €1.76, which is 10 cents higher than during the same period last year.
As a result, the good harvest and nearly unchanged cost of the raw material have not led to lower prices for the finished product, with consumers instead paying more.
Citizens also commented on the price of cooking oil. “It’s become a luxury – yes. Buying something to keep in stock for a few days or longer.”
Another consumer said the different sides of the market view the price differently. “Producers will claim they are selling it cheaply, while buyers will say it’s expensive.”
Producers have also pointed to another problem, saying Bulgarian sunflower is exported while processors later have to obtain raw materials from other countries.
Dobrudzha Grain Producers’ Union Chairwoman Radostina Zhekova said the same situation occurred in early 2026, when Argentine sunflower seeds entered Bulgaria while Bulgarian produce was exported in matching quantities. “We experienced this in early 2026: Argentine sunflower seeds came in, Bulgarian ones went out – in absolutely identical quantities. Trading is taking place, it is a matter of activity on the part of processors and traders, and the stock is sitting in our warehouses,” Zhekova said.