Russia set for record sunflower seed harvest as planting expands
Russia’s sunflowerseed crop was forecast at a record 17.5 million tonnes, with 8.4 million hectares sown by May 23 and more oil headed into global markets.
USDA in June 2025 forecast Russia’s 2025/26 sunflowerseed crop at a record 17.5 million tonnes as planted area held at 9.6 million hectares. By 23 May 2025, growers had already sown about 8.4 million hectares, up from 7.0 million hectares a year earlier, while the average yield was pegged at 18.2 decitonnes per hectare, the third-highest on record.
The estimate put Russian output 4% above the running season and 11% above the long-term average, with Russia set to account for just over 31% of global sunflower production. Ukraine was forecast at just under 26% and the EU-27 at 18%, underscoring how concentrated the oilseed balance remains in the Black Sea region.
For biodiesel and renewable diesel buyers, the bigger crop mattered because sunflower oil sits in the same broader vegetable-oil complex as soybean oil and rapeseed oil. USDA projected world sunflower production at 56.2 million metric tons in 2025/26, up 8% from the prior year, with sunflower oil output rising to 21.9 million metric tons and exports climbing to 13.7 million metric tons. A larger Russian crop can lift oil availability, but it can also sharpen competition between food, industrial and fuel demand for the same barrels of feedstock.
Russia added another layer to the market in July 2025 when it temporarily suspended floating export duties on sunflower oil and meal from July 25 through Aug. 31. In July, the duty was set at 4,739.3 rubles per metric ton for sunflower oil and 1,054.4 rubles per metric ton for sunflower meal, a move aimed at supporting exporters and producers.
S&P Global said Russia’s sunflower oil exports could reach 350,000 metric tons in August and projected total 2024/25 exports at 4.7 million metric tons, down from the previous season’s record 5.3 million metric tons. Russia and Ukraine together account for more than half of global sunflowerseed production and nearly three-quarters of sunflower oil and meal exports, so another record Russian harvest would ripple through crusher margins, trade flows and feedstock procurement well beyond Moscow.
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