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General Characteristics
-While the vibrant, strong sunflower is recognised worldwide for its beauty, it is also an important source of food. Sunflower
oil is a valued and healthy vegetable oil and sunflower seeds are enjoyed as a healthy, tasty snack and nutritious ingredient
to many foods.
-Sunflower oil is obtained from the seedsof the sunflower plant - Helianthus Annuus. Each flower can develop up to 2000
sunflower seeds. The oil is pale yellow in colour but contains a level of natural waxes that give the oil a 'cloudy' appearance
at cooler temperatures.
-Nowadays, the crop is predominant in Russia, Ukraine, Europe, Argentina and the USA. The seed contains 40-45% oil. There
are now two other types of sunflower available - High Oleic and Mid Oleic. These were developed with standard breeding
techniques and differ in oleic levels with each one offering unique properties.
-Because of the high levels of polyunsaturated fats in standard sunflower oil, the oil is susceptible to oxidation during
commercial usage, especially frying.
-High oleic sunflower oil is premium sunflower oil with minimum levels of 80% monounsaturated fatty acids. It is used in
food and industrial applications where high monounsaturated levels are required.
-The oil has excellent stability without the need for hydrogenation. High oleic sunflower oil offers a trans free oil solution for
customers. The oil has many uses including bakery applications, spray coating oils for cereal, crackers and dried fruit; it is
used in non-dairy creamers, many types of frying and other uses.
-Mid-oleic sunflower oil is fairly new to the market and was developed by standard hybrid procedures

Sunflower fields

Global Market
-Sunflower is one of the most important oilseed crops in the world. Global production grew steadily in last 25 years and
isexpected a total world output close to 60 million tones towards 2050.
- The four largest producers (Ukraine, Russia, European Union and Argentina) account for 70% of global volume, with an
exponential growth of production in the last ten years in the Black Sea region, with increased acreage an higher yields
achieved by the replacing old varieties by hybrid seeds.
-Sunflower seeds are crushed mostly locally and seed world trade represents less than 10% of global production.World
sunflower oil trade accounts for 30% of total consumption. The European Union is the major destination of the Ukrainian
and Argentine exports.Even though, sunflower oil production has increased in last decades, its market share of total 17 Fats
& Oils production declined significantly, while palm oil, soybean oil and rapeseed oil production grew at faster rates.Per
caput consumption of sunflower oil has increased marginally in last years (from 1.0 kg/year to 1.4 kg/year in last 30 years).
Edible oil for human consumption was the major way of usage.
- Today, only 10% of the global production is used for industrial purpose.FAO sunflower oil production forecast for 2050 is
22,4 million metric tons, which implies or a significant increase on per caput consumption. Such increase could come through
two ways:
I)- A sharp increase in per caput edible sunflower oil consumption (from 1,4 to 2,3 kg/year), driven by lower production costs
and or incremental quality differential.
II)- Sharp increase of industrial use, particularly bio fuel (human consumptions as edible oil 1,8 kg/year).

Sunflower oil production

World sunflower oil production 2014

Vegetable oil production 2013 - tonnes

Ukraine Market
-In the sector of industrial processing, vegetable oils production (sunflower oil volumes form 97%) takes nearly 10% from
the general volumes of all production rates of food commodities in Ukraine. The fat-and-oil complex is one of the largest
branches of the food industry of Ukraine, which covers 10% of all produced commodities.

-The role of Ukraine as one of the largest countries-producers of sunflower oil on the world market continues growing. So,
during 7 recent years the share of Ukrainian sunflower oil on the world market significantly increased, and reached nearly
54% until the end of 2013/14 MY.
-In 2013/14 MY the exports of sunflower oil from Ukraine totaled 3.4 mln tonnes.
-In 2013, five leading companies-processors of Ukrainian sunflower seed (Kernel, Creative Group, Cargill, etc.) provided 30%
of the general world exports of the commodity.
-As for the prospects of the new season,the general harvest of sunflower seed in Ukraine in 2014 estimated at the level of 11
mln tonnes.The volume of sunflower oil exports from Ukraine in 2014/15 MY is expected to reach 4.2 mln tonnes

Ukraine exports of crude sunflower oil 2010/11

Ukraine & Russia exports to the EU

Ukraine oilseed production

Sunflower seed processing into oil

Price influencing factors

- The production highly fluctuates between years.
-There is high substitutability between oils.So, price of other major oils like groundnut, soyoil and other edible oils also
influence the prices of sunflower oil.
-Besides this, production of the other leading exporting countries likeUkraine, Russia,Argentina, USA and EU also influence
the prices to great extent.

Vegetable oil prices ($/metric tonne, Jan 2009 - Nov 2014)

Global consumption of vegetable oils from 1995/96 to 2014/15, by oil type (in million
metric tons)

2013

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