Sunflower prices remain high in Ukraine as rainfall delays harvest

Sunflower prices in Ukraine remain high due to delayed harvesting and increased demand from processors. About this said The Electronic Grain Exchange of Ukraine.

Sunflower harvest is delayed by precipitation in western and northern Ukraine.

According to the exchange, as of mid-September, the price of sunflower seeds is 26,500-27,500 UAH/t ($565-585 per tonne excluding VAT) for 50% oil content with delivery to the plant.

Processors have sold sunflower oil at high prices, so they are ready to offer better prices for sunflower with fast delivery. Farmers are being urged to take advantage of the current price jump and speed up sales.

As of September 12, only 570,000 hectares of sunflower were threshed in Ukraine, harvesting 885,000 tons with an average yield of 1.55 t/ha. Experts predict that yields in the center and west will be higher than last year.

Over the past week, the price of Ukrainian sunflower oil has fallen by $10-20 per tonne to $1170-1190 per tonne for delivery to Black Sea ports. This is due to increased supply and falling prices for Russian oil to $1180-1190 per ton FOB.

Also, prices for sunflower oil from Kazakhstan fell to $1130-1150 per tonne on the border with China amid a projected increase in harvest.

• In early August, it was reported that prices for sunflower and sunflower oil in Ukraine exceeded the world's due to low reserves at the end of the 2024/25 marketing year.