The agricultural holding KSG Agro has signed a contract with a Ukrainian oil extraction plant for production of sunflower and soybean oil from its raw materials with subsequent export of finished products to the European Union, according to a press release from the agrarian group on Thursday.
“Our military realities are pushing for the search for new strategic solutions. So we decided that rapeseed and sunflower seeds will be processed, since there are more chances to sell such products abroad in the form of the same vegetable oil, ready for consumption, at a better price than just sunflower seeds,” KSG Agro quotes its board chairman Serhiy Kasyanov.
He recalled that the blockade of Ukrainian seaports due to Russian military aggression makes traditional supply chains and export supplies of grain and oilseed agricultural products impossible.
It is specified that the refinement and packaging of vegetable oil will be carried out in the EU countries, and relevant negotiations are currently underway with European partners.
Sunflower and soybean oil from Ukraine to Europe will be transported by trucks, for which KSG Agro has already purchased flexitank containers in Turkey, which will allow transporting 22-24 tonnes of oil in conventional trucks.
The vertically integrated holding KSG Agro is engaged in pig breeding, as well as production, storage, processing and sale of grains and oilseeds. Its land bank is about 21,000 hectares.
According to the agricultural holding itself, it is among the top five pork producers in Ukraine.
Exports of sunflower oil from Ukraine in quantity terms decreased by 15.2% in 2021 compared to 2020, to 5.13 million tonnes, while in monetary terms exports increased by 20%, to $6.38 billion, according to preliminary data published on the website of the Ukroliyaprom association on Thursday.
According to preliminary information, in general, in 2021, Ukraine exported oil and fat products worth $8.56 billion (19.6% more compared to 2020), which is 12.6% of total exports of goods from Ukraine and 30.9% of its exports of agricultural and food products.
In the structure of exports of oil and fat products, vegetable oil accounted for 74.6% of the total supply, sunflower meal – 14.9%, soybean oil – 3.4%, soybean meal – 3.0%, rapeseed oil – 2.6%, and margarine – 1.1%.
According to Ukroliyaprom, the main importing countries of Ukrainian sunflower oil in 2021 were the EU countries, where 32% of total exports were supplied, as well as India (30.5%), China (15.3%), and Iraq (5.1%). Among the EU countries, the Netherlands (10.6% of total exports), Spain (7.4%), Italy (5.0%), France (3.0%) and the UK (2.7%) imported the most Ukrainian vegetable oil.
Delta Wilmar Ukraine LLC, a member of the group of the transnational corporation Wilmar International, on November 15 at the plant in the village of Novi Biliary (Odesa region) launched the tenth line for bottling sunflower oil under the Chumak brand, which will also become the second line for filling oil in containers of 1.8 liters, 3 liters and 5 liters, according to the company’s Facebook page.According to him, the sales market for products in containers of increased volumes is the Middle East and Africa, where people live mainly in large families and, accordingly, buy oil in large containers.The sunflower oil producer specified that its products are exported to 40 countries of the world.As reported, Delta Wilmar in 2020 opened a new workshop for processing and packaging margarine and fat products at an enterprise in Odesa region, investments in which amounted to more than $ 29 million.Delta Wilmar Ukraine LLC is part of the group of the transnational agro-industrial corporation Wilmar International, the market capitalization of which is estimated at $ 22 billion.In Ukraine, it owns two plants – one for processing tropical oils, the other for processing oilseeds, as well as a complex for transshipment of vegetable oils in Pivdenny port. All enterprises are located in the village of Novi Biliary, 30 km from Odesa.In the 2020/2021 marketing year (September-August), the company produced 153,000 tonnes of refined sunflower oil, its share in the Ukrainian product market was 16.6%.
Delta Wilmar Ukraine LLC, part of the group of the transnational corporation Wilmar International, plans to launch of the second bottling line for sunflower oil under the TM Chumak in three- and five-liter containers at a plant in the village of Novi Biliari (Odesa region), the company also brought the first bottling line launched in November 2020 to its design capacity.
“Our nearest plans are to launch a second line designed for large-volume bottles – three liters and five liters. The market for these products is the Middle East and Africa. Since people in these countries live mainly in large families, they accordingly buy oil in a large container,” Mykola Danyliuk, the leading specialist in the production and packaging of bottled products, said in a message of the company on Facebook.
Delta Wilmar said that 10 months after the launch of the first sunflower oil bottling line at this enterprise, the company brought production volumes to the design capacity – 3,000 bottles per hour for containers with a capacity of 2 liters and 6,000 bottles per hour for containers of 0.85 liter and 1 liter.
The company recalled that the volume of investments in the first bottling line exceeded $5.5 million, and 45 jobs were created.
Exports of sunflower oil in the 2020/2021 marketing year (MY, September-August) decreased by 21% compared to the 2019/2020 MY, to 5.28 million tonnes, which amounted to 98.1% of the maximum volume agreed by the Ministry of Economy and the Ukroliyaprom association, such preliminary data are given on the website of the association.
According to the organization, the maximum export volumes of sunflower oil in the 2020/2021 MY are limited at 5.38 million tonnes. Thus, over the past MY, exporters could supply another 100,000 tonnes of this product to foreign markets, but did not take advantage of this opportunity.
Earlier it was reported that the Ministry of Economy in April 2021 signed a memorandum of understanding with exporters, limiting the export of sunflower oil in the 2020/2021 MY at 5.38 million tonnes to stabilize the domestic market, while previously the annual export was estimated at 5.52 million tonnes.
As an alternative to the memorandum, the Ministry of Economy proposed the introduction of quotas for the export of sunflower oil and meal, which was opposed by a number of Ukrainian specialized associations and public organizations, including Ukroliyaprom, the Ukrainian Grain Association, the Ukrainian Agrarian Confederation and the Ukrainian Agri Council.
The average consumer price of sunflower oil in Ukraine in July for the first time in the 2020/21 year (September-August) fell by 0.34% compared to June, to UAH 64.73 per liter, in retail chains the product is present in a wide range and in sufficient volumes, according to the website of the Ukroliyaprom association.
“For the first time in the entire current year, there has been a decrease in the selling prices for sunflower oil by its producers. In particular, compared to May of this year, in July, the selling prices of enterprises for unrefined sunflower oil fell by 9.2%, and for refined oil, by 4.2% [respectively to UAH 37.4 per liter and UAH 41. per liter],” the association said.
According to the association, the domestic market of Ukraine consumes up to 10% of the sunflower oil produced in the country.
Ukroliyaprom said that the enterprises of the oil and fat industry of Ukraine are pursuing a balanced pricing policy, ensuring the priority of sunflower oil supplies to retail chains over export supplies. In retail chains, this product is present in a wide range and in volumes that meet the needs of the population.
