Ukraine covers bulk of EU sunflower seed oil imports

Figures published by the EU Commission show that Ukraine remains by far the largest supplier of sunflower seed oil to the EU-27, despite a Ukrainian decline in feedstock supply compared to the previous year.
From 1 July 2024 to 2 February 2025, the EU- 27 imported around 1.24 million tonnes of sunflower seed oil, which was significantly less than the 1.51 million tonnes imported during the same period the previous year, but more than the 1.13 million tonnes recorded in the 2022/23 marketing season.
However, imports slowed down substantially in recent weeks, with weekly import volumes falling from nearly 59.000 tonnes in December to just under 25,000 tonnes at the beginning of February.
Ukraine is the by far leading country of origin, delivering 1.17 million tonnes of sunflower seed oil to the EU so far this season. According to research by Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft, this translates to a market share of 94 per cent.
However, the volume is nevertheless lower than the 1.4 million tonnes supplied during the same period the previous year.
The decline is due to the significant drop in feedstock supply in the running season, which has reduced processing and limited Ukraine's sunflower seed oil export potential.
Serbia and Bosnia are the second and third most important suppliers, holding market shares of 3% and just under 1% respectively. However, their exports also remained short of the previous year's levels.