Russia’s sunflower seed harvest set to hit record level

Russia is the world's largest producer of sunflower seed with the country's harvest expected to a reach new record high in the coming season – although the sunflower area will remain unchanged.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) recently published its June estimate for global oilseed production.
According to the report, Russia's output of sunflower seed for the upcoming crop year is estimated at 17.5 million tonnes.
This figure would not only represent a 4% increase over the running season and an 11% rise compared to the long-standing average, but also a new record harvest from an unchanged production area of 9.6 million hectares.
The estimated increase is attributed to higher yields.
As of 23 May, approximately 8.4 million hectares had already been sown with sunflowers, compared to 7 million hectares the previous year.
Weather conditions for the 2025/26 crop year are currently expected to be favourable. The USDA therefore expects an average yield of 18.2 decitonnes per hectare, which would be the third highest on record.
With that, Russia remains the world's leading producer of sunflower seed, ahead of Ukraine and the EU-27.
According to the USDA estimate, Russia is seen to account for slightly more than 31% of global output in the coming season, followed by Ukraine at just under 26% and the EU-27 at 18%.
Most of Russia's sunflower seed harvest is processed domestically, with part of it later exported as meal or oil.