Ukrainian high-oleic sunflower oil changes its export geography

This forecast was announced by analysts at APK-Inform.

Experts explained that Ukraine’s high-oleic sunflower sector has not yet been able to return to its pre-war positions. The partial recovery of acreage in recent years has effectively been offset by weather risks and unstable premiums.

At the same time, certain changes are being observed in the geography of exports. In the current season, from September to March, the main importer of Ukrainian high-oleic sunflower oil — the European Union — reduced purchases to 84.3 thousand tonnes, down 22%. This accounted for 60% of total supplies, compared with 72% in the previous season over the same period.

Instead, the market is actively opening up new growth points outside Europe:

• Malaysia entered the top five importers, with purchases up 82%;
• Singapore increased imports more than 30-fold;
• the United States and Canada are showing stable growth, up 13% and 53%, respectively;
• export geography is expanding in the Middle East despite geopolitical risks, with Saudi Arabia posting growth of 47%.

«Although the overall export geography of this product has been quite broad, covering around 50 countries, we are actually seeing a decline in dependence on a single region. This could become the main driver for Ukraine’s high-oleic segment in the coming years,» the experts summarized.