In its latest report, the European Commission examines the quality of the new crop and the climate-related challenges facing farmers. Drier-than-usual conditions across large parts of western, central and northern Europe, as well as eastern Romania, prompted the commission to revise its forecasts.

They significantly lowered the outlook for sunflower production in key producer Romania. This news reflects instantly on the domestic market in the country. According to data from the Romanian Association for Consumer Protection, at the end of July, a liter of sunflower oil in a well-known supermarket chain in Bucharest was sold for 13.79 lei (about BGN 5.50).

In the current situation, few Romanians manage to cope with the constant increase in food prices, which has prompted the authorities to take emergency measures.

A new regulation on limited food prices came into force on Sunday, July 30. According to it, the commercial supplement exercised by the processors cannot exceed 20% of the production cost of the product, which includes direct and indirect costs, according to the current accounting regulations.

Also, the trade markup applied to the entire distribution chain, regardless of the number of distributors, can be a maximum of 5% of the purchase price, plus operating costs.

For retailers, the trade markup can also be a maximum of 20% of the purchase price, to which the direct and indirect costs of the trader are added.

On the other hand, after Moscow withdrew last month from an international agreement that allowed Kiev to export an estimated 36 million tons of grain through its Black Sea ports, Constanta is now expected to play an even more important role in transporting Ukrainian grain. The question everyone is asking now is whether the port will withstand such a load.

"Facilities are currently being built so that trains using the larger Ukrainian gauge can transfer their cargo to the Romanian rail system. The works should be finished in a few weeks," said Dan Dolgin, director of port operations, adding that Constanta now has more train lines than last year.

On the other hand, he admitted that entry points to the port, especially those meant for trucks, continue to suffer from blockages.

"Long queues of trucks are forming around the port of Constanta, most of them loaded with Romanian grain. Although queues at the port entrance are common at this time of year when the grain is being harvested, some truck drivers say the war has made things worse."

In terms of trade, at the beginning of the week the prices of grain for delivery to the port of Constanta were: bread wheat - 225 EUR/ton, feed wheat - 218 EUR/ton, corn - 200 EUR/ton, barley - 193 EUR/ton, sunflower – 420 dollars/ton.