Contracts for about 100,000 t of grain a year are usually made on the Sofia Commodity Exchange (SCE). Deals for the same amount are expected to be concluded on it this year, too, SCE CEO Vassil Simov said in an interview for national radio on Monday. The amount is not so large but it is enough for transparent and realistic market-based pricing, Simov said. According to his prediction, this year's prices will be a bit higher than those for the 1999 harvest. The start-up price of barley is expected to be around BGN 140 per tonne. A year ago it was BGN 120-130 per tonne. The projected prices of bread wheat for July and August will also be higher, around BGN 150-155 per tonne, up from BGN 130-140 per tonne last year. Producers and merchants have good reason for the mark-up - the US dollar has become stronger and fuel is now more expensive, Simov said