Category: Sunflower Seeds

Bullish: Ukraine may expand sunflower seed acreage by 5–20% in 2026 on high prices and improved soil moisture, signaling potential production recovery. Bullish: Kabardino-Balkaria’s sunflower harvest rose 1.6x year-on-year, driven by both area expansion and higher yields, underscoring strong regional yield potential. Bearish: Ukraine’s 2025 sunflower harvest fell to about 10 million tons from 16…

Import Substitution Milestone: Domestically bred sunflower seeds in Stavropol Krai rise to 50% of plantings in 2026, up from 30% in 2025. Secured Sowing Campaign: Spring 2026 sowing will cover 1 million hectares with seeds, fertilizers, and fuel already secured. Strong State Support: Agricultural support totals 4.8 billion rubles in 2026, following a 22% year-on-year…

Bearish for Black Sea sunflower seeds: EU sunflower seed processing fell to 7.4 million tonnes in 2025 (from 9 million in 2024), a nine-year low that weakens demand for Ukrainian and other Black Sea origins. Capacity shift to rapeseed: Refineries in the Netherlands, France, and Bulgaria are reallocating crushing capacity to rapeseed as sunflower processing margins deteriorate.…

Ukrainian sunflower seed prices declined to UAH 28,800–29,200/t CPT amid aggressive farmer selling and stock accumulation at crushers. Premium-quality seeds with higher oil content still attracted up to UAH 30,000–30,500/t CPT, highlighting selective processor demand. Weak January crushing due to infrastructure attacks and power shortages curtailed sunflower oil and meal exports, reinforcing a bearish tone.…

Leader Identified: Aston food products and food ingredients – Povolzhye LLC was the top domestic rail shipper of sunflower seeds in Russia for July–December 2025. Elevator Dominance: Elevator and grain handling companies make up most of the top 20 shippers, underscoring strong inland processing and distribution capacity. Logistics Signals: Concentrated rail flows hint at active…

Neutral to Bearish: Ukrainian sunflower meal exports fell 16% year-on-year to ~1 million tonnes in Sep–Dec 2025/26, among the weakest performances in 15 seasons. Bearish EU demand: Shipments to the EU plunged to 237,000 tonnes as Ukraine’s market share collapsed from 63% to 23%, with Argentina gaining a dominant 64% share on stronger price competitiveness.…

Prices soften: Ukrainian sunflower seed values for 48% oil content have eased to UAH 28,800–29,000/ton from recent highs of UAH 29,500–29,700/ton. Processor coverage high: Crushers have already secured around 60–70% of February needs, cutting purchasing activity and removing price premiums. Further downside expected: PUSK analysts project an additional short-term decline of UAH 500–700/ton, but do…

Prices retreat from peak: Ukrainian sunflower seed values eased from UAH 30,500/t to around UAH 28,800–29,600/t for medium lots as farmer selling increased. Large-lot premiums persist: Bulk purchases of 2,000–3,000 tons still achieve UAH 30,200–30,500/t (about $700/t) for 48–49% oil content, with higher prices for premium seed. Export demand emerging: Isolated export deals to Bulgaria…

Investment: Albaraka 077 LLP is building a sunflower oil plant in Turkestan region with an investment of 800 million tenge, targeting launch in Q1 2026. Capacity Backdrop: The project follows Kazakhstan’s record 2025 oilseed harvest of 4.8 million tons, including 2.3 million tons of sunflower seeds. Construction Status: Main production building is completed and equipment…

Russia extends Trans-Baikal sunflower seed and rapeseed export quotas to August 31, 2026, preserving preferential access to Asian buyers. Rapeseed export capacity from the region nearly triples to 28,251 tonnes, leveraging record national rapeseed output. Strong duty differential (6.5% vs. 30%) guarantees full quota utilization and supports competitive pricing versus other Black Sea origins. Market…