Prices for sunflower seeds on the domestic Ukrainian market fell by more than 1,000 UAH/ton last week and amounted to about 26,000-27,600 UAH/ton (CPT-enterprise), which is the minimum level since the beginning of the 2025/2026 season, and only occasionally reached 28,000-28,300 UAH/tonne CPT, according to the information and analytical agency “APK-Inform”.
Analysts specified that indicative demand prices started at 25,000-25,400 UAH/tonne (CPT).
Experts explained that the slowdown in oilseed trade was significantly slowed down due to constant rocket and drone attacks on the ports of Odesa, which resulted in a decrease and, in some cases, suspension of product unloading.
According to their information, the shelling of seaports has increased the risks of storing oil in ports. As a result, a number of factories are suspending operations because they either do not have storage tanks at their facilities or they are already full.
In addition, there has been a significant decline in raw material prices on the market due to uncertainty about the future development of the sector.
“This has led to a reduction in the supply of sunflower seeds, which also coincided with the traditional lull during the holiday period, as a result of which market activity will remain weak in the coming weeks,” APK-Inform predicts.
Vegetable oils accounted for 23% of Ukrainian exports in 2024, 60.9% of which went to European countries, according to the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club (UAC).
Analysts noted that 15% of vegetable oil exports from Ukraine were delivered to the Middle East, 14.8% to Southeast Asia, 4.8% to Africa, 3.1% to Asia (other countries), and 1.4% to America.
At the same time, sunflower oil accounted for 89.0% of exports, soybean oil for 5.5%, rapeseed oil for 4.2%, and others for 1.3%.
The UACB noted that sunflower oil accounts for the lion’s share (89%) in this category, which confirms Ukraine’s status as a key player in the global market for this product, while the share of soybean and rapeseed oils is also gradually increasing.
After record revenues of $7.04 billion from oil exports in 2021, even in the context of full-scale war, export revenues consistently exceed $5.6 billion annually. The 2024 figure ($5.76 billion) confirmed that this sector has not only survived but also successfully adapted to the new realities, remaining a reliable pillar of the economy, the business association emphasized.
At the same time, unlike raw material groups, vegetable oils as a processed product have a more diversified geography. Although Europe remains the leader, the total share of Asian and Middle Eastern countries exceeds 30%, which indicates the demand for Ukrainian oil in distant markets. The global demand for Ukrainian oil is confirmed by the overall improvement in export logistics and the increase in the number of importing countries, which rose to 139 in 2024 (compared to 133 in 2023).
“Vegetable oils remain a significant driver of Ukraine’s foreign trade among value-added products. One of the critical factors for exports remains the issue of the availability of logistics routes,” the association emphasized.
The UACB recalled that in 2024, the deep-water ports of the Black Sea regained their dominant position, accounting for almost half of all exports (compared to less than 15% in 2023), but alternative export channels—the Danube ports and the “Solidarity Routes”—continue to play a significant role, accounting for over 45% of shipments.
Bulgaria is interested in importing sunflower seeds, wheat, corn and milk powder from Ukraine, said Nikolay Nenchev, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of the Republic of Bulgaria in Ukraine, during a meeting with Taras Vysotsky, acting Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine.
According to the press service of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food, Nikolay Nenchev assured that Bulgaria is ready to continue to help and cooperate with Ukraine, to facilitate the transit of Ukrainian agricultural products to the country’s seaports.
Vysotsky, for his part, noted that Ukraine highly appreciates cooperation with Bulgaria and its assistance in exporting agricultural products.
“Ukraine and Bulgaria have always had a constructive dialog on various issues. This contributes to the strengthening of bilateral relations between Ukraine and Bulgaria,” the acting minister summarized.
In the second quarter of 2024, Corteva Agriscience, an international agricultural research company, increased organic sales of Pioneer® corn and sunflower seeds by 20% and 9% year-on-year, said Oleksandr Dmytriyev, Head of Business at Corteva Agriscience in Ukraine, at a media club meeting in Kyiv.
According to him, organic sales of plant protection products in the second quarter of 2024 increased by 71% compared to the same period last year. At the same time, Corteva’s global organic sales and operating EBITDA increased by 2% to $6.2 billion and by 8% to $1.9 billion in Q2 2024 compared to the same period last year.
“Corteva works side by side with farmers, understands the difficult situation they have faced during the war, and is constantly looking for opportunities to support them in difficult times of war and help ensure the economy of Ukraine and food security of the world. During the 2023/2024 season, Corteva partnered with programs from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to help farmers through the fall and spring planting campaigns. Together with financial institutions, we offer tools that provide special lending or subsidy terms, giving access to resources that are key to maintaining business profitability, and we are actively working with producers in the frontline areas of Sumy, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, Kherson, and other regions,” Dmitriev said.
Corteva Agriculture is a global agricultural company. It offers comprehensive solutions to maximize yields and profitability. It has more than 150 research facilities and more than 65 active ingredients in its portfolio.
The company’s presence in Ukraine includes the headquarters in Kyiv, a research center in Liubartsi village (Kyiv region) and a seed production complex in Stasi village (Poltava region).
In April 2022, the company decided to leave the Russian market due to the full-scale war against Ukraine unleashed by Russia.
Corteva Agriscience, an international agricultural research company, has provided soybean and sunflower seeds to Ukrainian farmers from eastern and southern Ukraine for the spring sowing campaign under a program of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the company’s press service reports.
According to the report, under this program, small and medium-sized farms and agricultural producers in the frontline regions with land area of 10 to 500 hectares were eligible to apply for free seeds. FAO provided farmers from eastern and southern Ukraine with Corteva’s Pioneer® sunflower hybrids for sowing on 6,000 hectares.
“Working side by side with farmers, we see the extraordinary efforts they are making to continue sowing fields and contributing to the world’s food security during the third year of full-scale war. Therefore, it was an honor for Corteva to participate in the FAO project and supply farmers with Pioneer® sunflower seeds,” said Oleksandra Bilash, Head of Marketing at Corteva Agriscience in Ukraine.
The project of Corteva Agriscience and FAO was implemented jointly with the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine with the financial support of the governments of Japan, Norway and Belgium.
Corteva recalled that in 2023, as part of a partnership program with the Howard G. Buffett Foundation, the company donated about 8 thousand sowing units of winter rape and 45 thousand sowing units of Pioneer® corn and sunflower seeds to small Ukrainian farmers from the affected areas.
Corteva Agriculture is a global agricultural company. It offers comprehensive solutions to maximize yields and profitability. It has more than 150 research facilities and more than 65 active ingredients in its portfolio.
The company’s presence in Ukraine includes the headquarters in Kyiv, a research center in Liubartsi village (Kyiv region) and a seed production complex in Stasi village (Poltava region).
In April 2022, the company decided to leave the Russian market due to the full-scale war against Ukraine unleashed by Russia.
Moldovan Agriculture and Food Minister Vladimir Bola will meet on Monday with sunflower seed producers and processors due to the difficult situation in his country with sunflower oil production. According to the Moldovan news agency Infotag, the decision to discuss the problem was made after Floarea Soarelui, the largest oil producer, shut down two plants. The producers said they had no raw materials, as farmers refused to sell their seeds at the current market price, and sunflower imports are strictly licensed.
“Today, Moldova’s sunflower seed stocks are about 350 thsd tonnes, so any statements about lack of stocks are speculation. At the same time, the pricing policy should be objective, fair and responsible towards the end consumer,” Bola wrote on Facebook.
He emphasized that “by abandoning political statements and relying solely on the economic component,” the Ministry of Agriculture of Moldova will provide a platform for dialogue between seed producers and processors.
“Each party will provide real figures so that we can make decisions and find viable solutions for the new sunflower harvest,” Bola said.
As reported, Moldova has extended the licensing of sunflower seed imports from Ukraine for three months.
