EU sunflower seed output set to hit record levels

Sunflower seed output is expected to increase significantly compared to the previous year especially in Romania and Hungary.
It is set to more than offset the anticipated declines in France and Germany.
According the latest EU Commission estimates, around 10.9 million tonnes of sunflower seed will be harvested in the EU-27 this year.
This will be just under 18% on the previous year, but also hits a new record high.
The forecast is based solely on yield increases, since the EU sunflower area will probably be around 7% smaller than 2022 at 4.8 million hectares.
Romania is set to strengthen its position as the largest EU producer. At 3.3 million tonnes, the estimate is up as much as 967,000 tonnes – just less than 42% – on the previous year. According to investigations conducted by Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft, the main reason for the strong production increase is higher yields because the area planted with sunflowers will probably decrease marginally to 1.3 million hectares.
Other EU member states, including Hungary, Bulgaria, Greece, Italy and Slovakia, are also expected to see considerable harvest increases.
By contrast, France is forecast to harvest only 1.7 million tonnes of sunflower seed. This will translate to an around 105,000 tonne decline on 2022, partly because the sunflower area will probably be around 12% smaller.
For Germany, the EU Commission projects a sharp slump in sunflower seed production by more than half. Around 67,000 tonnes of sunflower seed are expected to be produced on a significantly reduced area of 32,000 hectares.
A year earlier, the German sunflower area was expanded to a record high of 86,000 hectares due to the war against Ukraine, with production reaching 159,000 tonnes.