Ukraine ships first sunflower seed vessel to Turkey this season

Ukraine has shipped its first vessel carrying sunflower seed to Turkey in the 2026/27 season amid more active export trade. Turkish importers have already covered their October needs and are now mainly looking for cargoes for November–December delivery.

Export prices for Ukrainian sunflower seed have declined over the past week. While earlier deals for delivery to the Marmara region were reported at around $640/t, sales emerged late last week at about $618/t.

Bulgarian buyers have also lowered their bids by €5–8/t. This is increasing competition between the main export destinations for Ukrainian sunflower seed.

At the same time, the issue of minimum export prices used for customs clearance remains unresolved for Ukrainian exporters. Market participants are waiting either for the introduction of a reduction coefficient or for a new price table expected to be published on October 10.

After the first vessel arrives in Turkey, market participants also expect more clarity on cargo clearance procedures at Turkish ports. Last season, there were cases when additional quality issues were raised after cargoes arrived in Turkey.

Tags: shipping, Ukraine, Turkey, export, sunseed