Record year for Russia’s sunflower seed production

Russia is now the world's largest producer of sunflower seed.

The harvest is expected to reach a new record high in the coming season due to a significant expansion in crop area and a slight increase in yields.

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has recently presented its June estimate for global oilseed production. The estimate indicates that Russian sunflower seed output in the upcoming crop year will reach 19.5 million tonnes. This would represent an increase of roughly 11 per cent compared with the current season and would mark a new record crop.

The key factor behind this increase is an expansion in sunflower area, with acreage expected to rise around 7 per cent year-on-year, reaching 11.2 million hectares. In addition, yields are projected to increase to 17.4 decitonnes per hectare, exceeding the previous year's level of 16.7 decitonnes per hectare.

According to research by Agrarmarkt Informations‑Gesellschaft mbH, this means that Russia remains the world's leading producer of sunflower seed, ahead of Ukraine and the EU-27.