Sunflower seeds: shift in demand

April 8, 2020 at 2:32 PM , Der AUDITOR
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SOFIA. The export stop of sunflower seeds from Kazakhstan is causing a shift in demand, and Bulgarian suppliers are also feeling the effects.

China buys in Bulgaria again

So far, China has purchased its hulled sunflower seeds mainly from Kazakhstan. In 2018 some Bulgarian companies were also licensed to export to China, but this did not result in excessive demand. However, due to the coronavirus situation, exports of sunflower seeds from Kazakhstan will be stopped until 30 June 2020, which, according to traders, will cause a shift in demand towards the Bulgarian market.

Turkish oil mills are also expected to orient themselves more towards Bulgaria. At the same time, in response to the ban on sunflower seed exports from the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union, the country has lowered the minimum threshold for the customs value (target price) of sunflower oil from USD 1,000 per metric tonne to USD 800 per metric tonne. At present, the import tax on sunflower oil is 36% and the customs duty will be USD 288 per matric tonne, as UkrAgroConsult reports.

Sunflower seeds, Eastern Europe

Quality

EUR/mt

Hulled, bakery, Bulgaria, DDP Germany

755

Unhulled, 96% purity, Bulgaria, CPT Varna

345

Trade sources

Upward trend continues

Bulgarian sunflower seeds follow the upward trend, which is fueled by the export ban on Kazakh goods. Farmers hold back their supplies in order to push through price increases, which are also gradually manifesting themselves. Both bakery kernels and black in-shells have again become more expensive compared to last week - and the trend is still rising. The new crop will only be available in about five months. In addition, during the summer months, the capacities of the peeling plants are generally shut down for cleaning and maintenance work, which is why market players expect further price increases from May onwards.

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