Latest News

Analyst: Strong demand from abroad pushes Ukraine's sunseed prices up to a record high

Analyst APK-Inform reported on Tuesday that the strong foreign demand for Ukrainian sunflower oil has driven local sunflower seed prices to levels not seen for almost three years.

Ukraine is the world's largest sunseed producer and exporter of sunoil, but its sunseed production is expected to decline by 9% in 2024 to 13.8 millions metric tons from 15.1million tons in 2023.

In a report, the consultancy stated that the volume of seeds processed could drop by 11% this season to 13,4 million tons.

The consultancy stated that the rise in the price of sunflower oil on the export market is supporting the growth of raw material prices.

Last week, the demand for sunflower oil at Ukrainian ports grew by $20 to $30 per ton, reaching $1,020 to $1,025 CPT per ton, the highest since January 2023.

APK-Inform reported that sunflower prices in Ukraine rose significantly over the last week, reaching their highest level since May 2021. The total price ranged from 22,500 to 24,500 hryvnias (546.29 to $594.85) per ton CPT.

In March 2021, the highest price for sunflower was 25,500-27400 hryvnias.

The consultancy reported: "The companies reported a slight increase in the supply of oilseeds, but it was still not enough."

APK-Inform reported that the sunoil production in Ukraine for 2024/25 could drop to 5,9 million tons, down from 6.6 millions a year earlier. Exports could also drop to 5.55 from 6.25 millions. (1 dollar = 41.1870 Hryvnias). (Reporting and Editing by Louise Heavens, Pavel Polityuk)

(source: Reuters)