USDA expects sharp increase in sunflower seed production in 2026/27

Russia, Ukraine and the EU account for roughly three quarters of global sunflower seed production.

In these key regions, 2026/27 harvests are expected to exceed those of the previous year, thereby presumably raising global production to a new record level.

According to the latest data from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), global sunflower seed production in the 2026/27 season is set to reach around 62.7 million tonnes.

This translates to a year-on-year increase of well above 13 per cent, setting a new record.

The key factor behind this rise is expected larger harvests in Eastern Europe and the EU. For Russia, which remains the world's largest producer of sunflower seed, the USDA projects approximately an 18 per cent increase over 2025/26, bringing the harvest to 20.7 million tonnes. The same applies to Ukraine. For the EU-27, the USDA currently forecasts a harvest of 9.8 million tonnes, which would be up just over 13 per cent from the previous year's 8.7 million tonnes.

The Argentine harvest is also expected to be higher. According to research by Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft (mbH), the country is expecting the largest sunflower seed harvest in its history in the 2026/27 crop year. Production increases are also forecast for Kazakhstan, China and Turkey. On the other hand, the harvest in the US will probably fall short of the previous year's level.