Ukraine’s sunflower oil exports may drop 14% this season — UCAB
In the 2025/26 marketing year, Ukraine may reduce sunflower oil exports to 4.1 million tons, which would be 14% less than in the previous season, according to the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club (UCAB).
Sunflower oil production in the 2025/26 season is expected to reach 4.3 million tons, down 13.1% year-on-year and 22.2% below the five-year average.
The main reason for the decline is a smaller volume of sunflower available for processing. The sunflower planted area in 2025/26 totalled about 5.2 million hectares, which is 2.6% less than in the previous season. Due to unfavourable weather conditions and a lack of rainfall, yields dropped to 2 t/ha, which is 10.6% lower than last year.
As a result, the sunflower seed harvest is estimated at around 10.1 million tons, down 10.6% from the previous marketing year and 13.5% below the five-year average. Accordingly, crushing volumes are also declining, putting pressure on oil production.
UCAB noted that domestic consumption of sunflower oil continues to decline due to the war, partial occupation of territories, and population migration. In the 2025/26 season, it is estimated at around 240,000 tons, which is 2% lower than a year earlier.
Therefore, the bulk of sunflower oil production is traditionally exported. The key buyers of Ukrainian sunflower oil remain countries in the EU, the Middle East, and Asia.
