Key Takeaways
- Sunflower seed bid prices decreased by UAH 300–600/ton to UAH 27,500–29,000/ton CPT, with indicative bids from UAH 27,000/ton CPT for 48% oil content.
- Farmer selling activity slowed as producers rejected current price levels, limiting new offers to the market.
- Weak sunflower oil prices, sufficient processor inventories, and the approaching holiday period are weighing on overall demand.
- Some processors are still offering premiums for large-volume contracts and higher-quality sunflower seeds despite the generally bearish tone.
Market Update
The Ukrainian sunflower seeds market continued to weaken last week, with bid prices falling by UAH 300–600 per ton. Current offers are generally in the range of UAH 27,500–29,000 per ton CPT, while indicative bids for 48% oil content material start from around UAH 27,000 per ton CPT.
Trading activity remained moderate as many farmers withdrew offers from the market, expressing dissatisfaction with the latest price levels. At the same time, demand from large crushing plants was limited, with processors already holding comfortable inventories of raw material and facing challenging margins in the sunflower oil segment.
The approaching holiday period further reduced market participation, reinforcing the sluggish tone in spot trading. Nonetheless, select processors continued to show interest in premium-quality seeds and larger parcels, offering modest price improvements for volume and quality.
Price Overview
| Commodity | Basis / Specification | Price Range | Weekly Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunflower Seeds | CPT Ukraine (standard) | UAH 27,500–29,000/ton | −UAH 300–600/ton |
| Sunflower Seeds | CPT Ukraine, 48% oil content (indicative bids) | from UAH 27,000/ton | −UAH 300–600/ton (indicative) |
Market Analysis
Bearish. The Ukrainian sunflower seed market is under clear downward pressure. While farmer reluctance to sell at current values is constraining near-term supply, this is being outweighed by weak demand from crushers, who are working with adequate stocks and facing unfavourable economics in the sunflower oil sector.
The latest UAH 300–600/ton decline reflects deteriorating fundamentals, with the performance of the sunflower oil market remaining the primary driver for raw seed prices. Unless margins in the oil segment improve or export demand strengthens, crushers are unlikely to step up procurement aggressively, keeping a lid on any sustained price recovery in the short term.
Source: Market Data
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