Source: Oleoscope (Russia)
In the upcoming agricultural year, which spans from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026, Russia’s sunflower yield could potentially hit a historic high of 18 million tons. This forecast was shared by Dmitry Rylko, the General Director of the Institute for Agrarian Market Conjuncture (ICAR), during the 18th Grain Conference currently ongoing in Belokurikha, located in the Altai Territory.
Rylko pointed out that there is currently an increase in the area cultivated with oilseeds, such as sunflower and rapeseed, with production anticipated to surpass 5 million tons this year. He further observed that, while there hasn’t been a marked shift towards domestic sunflower hybrids this season – due to producers holding onto their inventories of imported seeds—such a transition could take place in the agricultural years of 2025 and 2026. The rise in oilseed acreage is attributed to their maintained profitability compared to cereals, which have seen a drop in income.
Consequently, the average cereal yield has dropped to 11%, marking the lowest point in the last decade. Last year, the average price of wheat deliveries was Br12300 per ton. In contrast, the market price for oilseeds is 9% higher than it was in 2023, while the production costs for oilseeds have risen by 6%. Profits remain at 42%, significantly outperforming wheat, which has a disheartening profitability rate of just 5%, as reported by Altai Peasant.
The Russian Grain Union predicts that the area dedicated to oilseed crops will expand from 19.8 million hectares to nearly 20.4 million hectares this season. The sunflower cultivation area is expected to reach 10.85 million hectares, up from 9.9 million hectares in 2024, with a gross harvest projected at 18.6 million tons, representing an increase of about 2 million tons compared to the previous year.