Romania exported 64,053 tonnes of sunflower seeds outside the European Union between July 1 and November 26, 2023,  half of the total amount exported by the EU (131,853 tonnes).

The import of sunflower seeds from third markets placed Romania in first place as well, with 78,836 tonnes, Lantulalimentar.ro reported.

Consequently, Romania posted a negative trade balance of 14,783 tonnes.

In total, the European Union imported 190,619 tonnes of sunflower seeds, a drop of 85% compared to the same period last year. The main sources were Moldova (119,983 tonnes, compared to 108,093 tonnes in the same period of 2022), Ukraine (drastic decrease from 1,085,480 tonnes to 35,760 tonnes - with the current market share at 18.8% compared to 86.7%, last year), China, Turkey, and Argentina.

The price of sunflower seeds delivered from Ukraine on November 29 was EUR 314 per ton, while in Bordeaux, the price was EUR 434 per ton, according to updated data from the European Commission.

iulian@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Katharina Wittfeld/Dreamstime.com)