Source: Oleoscope (Russia)
According to the Zerno On-Line agency, which cited the European Commission, EU countries imported 12.8 million tonnes of oilseeds during the thirty-eight weeks of the current season. Consequently, this represents a 17% decrease compared to the same period last season. In fact, total oilseed imports into the EU for the period from July 1, 2025, to March 24, 2026, amounted to 12.82 million tonnes. Thus, a 17% decrease compared to the same period last season was observed, indicating a significant reduction in external supplies due to an increase in the domestic harvest.
Soybean and Rapeseed Imports Decline
Notably, soybeans remain the main imported crop, accounting for almost 70% of total supplies. However, despite their leading position in the import structure, purchases declined by 11% compared to last year. This was the lowest in three years. The share of US imports fell to approximately 47%. In comparison, Brazil, the second-largest supplier, shipped approximately 2.7 million tonnes to the EU market. This was down approximately 2% from the previous year.
Furthermore, rapeseed imports showed the most significant decline. They were down 33% year-on-year, with the total volume remaining below 3.5 million tonnes. Ukraine was the main supplier of this crop (1.2 million tonnes).
Sunflower Defies the EU Oilseed Import Reduction Trend
On the other hand, sunflower was the only oilseed crop on the list to show positive growth (+17%). Nevertheless, it is important to note that in absolute terms, sunflower volumes remain insignificant. They are 16 times less than soybeans.
It was previously reported that not a single batch of Argentine sunflower purchased by the union passed food safety testing. All of this sunflower will be sent for processing.