Mumbai, March 22 (Commoditiescontrol): According to the APK-Inform Agency, Ukraine processed about 916000 tonnes of sunflower seeds in February 2022/23 MY, which is nearly the same as the previous month's level, representing a 2% increase. However, it is still the second-lowest monthly volume in the current season after January.
The primary reason for the low processing rate is the challenging "grain corridor" operation, which is slowing down the transportation of grains and oilseeds from the interior regions of Ukraine to the ports. Additionally, there has been a significant offer of Ukrainian sunflower on the export market, causing a downward price trend and decreasing demand for sunflower oil.
During the first half of the 2022/23 season, the volume of sunflower seed processing in Ukraine was the lowest in the past eight seasons, with only around 6.5 mln tonnes. Despite this, sunflower seed exports from Ukraine reached a new historical maximum of 1.54 mln tonnes since the beginning of the 2022/23 MY (September-February).
This suggests that the market for sunflower seeds and their byproducts is currently focused on exports, and domestic processing may be lower than anticipated. However, it also indicates that Ukrainian exporters are well-positioned to meet the growing global demand for sunflower oil and other sunflower products.
The low processing rate of sunflower seeds in Ukraine during February 2022/23 MY can be attributed to several factors, including the challenging "grain corridor" operation, the high supply of Ukrainian sunflower on the export market, and the decreasing demand for sunflower oil on the export market. However, Ukrainian sunflower exporters are still breaking records, indicating strong demand for their products abroad.
(By Commoditiescontrol Bureau; +91-9820130172)