Sunseed processing in Argentina is declining, oilseed stocks are shrinking

In Argentina, sunflower seed crushing fell by 18% in September to 0.4 million tons, according to analysts at the German portal Oil World.

The reduction in crushing, coupled with large export volumes of sunflower oil and meal, led to a significant reduction in inventories of these products. Sunflower oil inventories are estimated at 77,000 tons (a six-month low and 39% lower than a year earlier), while meal inventories are at 135,000 tons, down from 173,000 tons a year earlier.

It was previously reported that Argentina’s September sunflower meal exports were the highest in 25 years. For the 2024/25 marketing year (October-September), meal exports increased to 1.37 million tons from 1.12 million tons a year earlier.

Soybean processing reached 4.13 million tonnes in September, an 11-month high (3.91 million tonnes in September 2024). Since the beginning of the year, the country’s oilseed processing volumes are estimated at 32 million tonnes, exceeding the 2024 level (30.9 million tonnes) and a four-year high.

This increase is due to strong demand for processed products, which totaled 2.15 million tonnes shipped from the country in September (0.3 million tonnes in September 2024), 96% of which went to China. Thanks to strong Chinese demand, Argentina also increased its soybean shipments (6.3 million tonnes in September, up 42% from a year earlier).

At the beginning of the month, the country abolished export duties on agricultural products to boost exports and achieve export targets. Thanks to active purchases on foreign markets, the grace period lasted only two days. The country’s oil and meal exports for the season are estimated at 40.4 million tons.

Tags: sunflower oil, sunseed, sunflower meal, Argentina