Bulgaria: Surprising drop in pork prices in the country
Prices of pork meat in Bulgaria dropped drastically in March this year to BGN 3043 / t. The decrease is surprising amidst high stock prices, which remain above expectations for 2018, according to an analysis by the Center for Agricultural Research in Agriculture (CAPA), published in the Researchers' Monthly Bulletin.
The situation is similar to the one in 2016, when for the first 3-4 months the prices in our country remained low compared to the appreciation of the pig meat in the EU. Last year, around 71.3 thousand tons of pork were produced in slaughterhouses. "It is expected that this level will remain in 2018, which is about 40% more than production for 2010-2015.
"In March, the wholesale beef and veal price increased substantially, reaching a growth of about 9% against the previous month's price level," analysts said. The forecast is that the average wholesale beef price will reach 4400-4500 BGN / tonne this year. The retail price is likely to rise to 12.50 leva / kg.
The self-sufficiency rate for beef and veal in the country in 2018 is expected to be within 58%. For comparison, in pigmeat, self-sufficiency is about 36%, and for chicken - about 66%.
"The comparatively high rate of self-sufficiency in beef is due to the beef and veal produced and consumed coming directly from the farms," the authors of the study said. In the main meats - pork and chicken, there is a faster growth rate of imports than domestic production.
Source: CAPA report, April-May 2018