Source: APKinform (Ukraine)
The Bulgarian Sunflower Oil Producers Association has indicated that numerous processing plants across the nation are compelled to halt their sunflower seed processing due to a lack of raw materials, as reported by the Bulgarian news agency Novinite.com.
This predicament is primarily attributed to the Bulgarian government’s choice to prolong the ban on importing sunflower seeds from Ukraine for the marketing year 2024/25. This action, along with the anticipated low oilseed yield in 2024, has resulted in a considerable scarcity of raw materials for sunflower oil production.
In the previous year, Bulgaria produced approximately 1.42 million tons of sunflower seeds, whereas the annual domestic requirement stands at around 1.5 million tons. Historically, this shortfall was balanced through imports, mainly from Ukraine. Nevertheless, the current bans on Ukrainian imports, enacted following pressure from local sunflower producers, have precipitated a serious supply crisis for oil mills.
“The circumstances echo those of 2022 when the invasion of Ukraine by Russia destabilized European agricultural markets. Between 2022 and 2023, Bulgaria imported nearly 1.4 million tons of sunflower seeds, with 800,000 tons sourced from Ukraine. This enabled local processors to operate at full capacity, processing over 3 million tons of sunflowers. However, the ongoing import restrictions have thrust the industry into a significant crisis,” the report highlights.
It was also pointed out that India and South Africa are the principal export markets for Bulgarian sunflower oil.