Ukraine returns to traditional use of oilseeds harvest

Ukraine has returned to the traditional use of oilseeds: all sunseed is processed domestically, 90% of rapeseed is exported, and a large soybean harvest allows for both export and processing.

This was stated by Maksym Kharchenko, grain market analyst at UkrAgroConsult.

“Sunflower oil, rapeseed and soybeans remain the main export commodities of oilseeds. The geography of exports is affected not by the harvest volume, but by the full-scale invasion, and we have reoriented ourselves to the EU markets. This situation will continue in the next seasons. The only exception is sunflower oil, because this season India has become interested in this product from Ukraine, and therefore we manage to export significant volumes there,” says Maksym Kharchenko.

Market participants emphasize that domestic oilseed prices will influence farmers’ decisions on what to plant next season. According to Maksym Kharchenko, prices for sunseed and rapeseed have been growing steadily over the past year. For sunseed, this is due to a lower harvest and a shortage on the market, and for rapeseed, it is due to active imports from the EU.

In view of this, experts forecast the growth of sunflower acreage in 2025/26 season at the expense of soybean and rapeseed and expect the total oilseed harvest to reach 24 mln tonnes.

Tags: soybean, oilseeds, sunseed, rapeseed, crop forecast, Ukraine, UkrAgroConsult, export