Romanian Sunseed at the Edge of a Record: Tight Supply, Export Pull and Price Tension. S&D Balances

UkrAgroConsult

The 2025/26 season places the Romanian sunflower seed market in an exceptional position, where tight regional supply and strong external demand are pushing prices toward a critical threshold. Reduced availability in the Black Sea region has transformed Romania into a focal point for buyers seeking reliable volumes, intensifying competition between exporters and domestic processors.

Price formation reflects this structural tension. Market transactions concentrate around USD 675/mt CPT, while export-oriented business gravitates toward levels near USD 710/mt FOB Constanta. These price benchmarks are supported by physical market conditions rather than speculative behavior, shaping a new reference point for both traders and crushers.

Export destination structures underline a strong reorientation of flows. Turkey absorbs close to half of Romanian sunflower seed shipments in the first part of the season, equivalent to about 376 KMT, reducing availability for traditional EU buyers and reshaping logistics chains.

Aggregated shipment dynamics and balance indicators illustrate how limited ending stocks and elevated export intensity define market behavior. Exports and processing compete for the same raw material base, leaving little buffer against disruptions. UkrAgroConsult frames these developments within updated balances of supply and demand for the 2025/26 season.

Key themes of the article

• Updated sunflower seed supply and demand balances
• Price formation under tight physical availability
• Turkey’s dominant role in Romanian export structure
• Competition between exports and domestic crushing
• Harvest and processing estimates for MY 2025/26
• Export potential under constrained supply conditions
• Forecast of ending sunflower seed stocks

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Tags: export, Romania, prices, sunseed, sunflower oil