Global sunflower seeds production to grow 9% in MY 2025/26 – IGC

According to the latest data from the International Grains Council (IGC), global sunflower seed production is expected to be around 56.6 million tonnes in the 2025/26 season. This represents an increase of almost 9% compared to last year. Expected higher harvests in Eastern Europe and the EU are crucial to this growth.

For Russia, which remains the largest producer, the Council expects 18.3 million tonnes of sunseed, which is around 8% more than in the 2024/25 season. The same applies to Ukraine. Here, the increase in the 2025/26 harvest will be even more significant – 14.5 million tonnes, which is 11% more. However, as the Council notes, the harvest volume of 16.5 million tonnes of the 2023/24 season is unlikely to be reached. For the EU, the IGC currently forecasts sunflower production at 9.4 million tonnes, up about 14% from 8.3 million tonnes in the previous year.

Larger harvests are also expected in Turkey and the US. According to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), Turkey’s acreage has increased by about 40%. With average yields expected, the harvest is expected to be about 49% larger than last season, at 800,000 tonnes. However, this will not have a significant impact on global supplies.

The world’s third-largest sunseed producer is Argentina, where the harvest is expected to decline due to a reduction in planted area, by about -7% to 4.7 million tonnes.

A decrease in production is also expected in Kazakhstan.

Tags: Ukraine, Russia, sunseed, Argentina, crop forecast