The European Commission predicts that the sunflower harvest in the EU will reach a 3-year high, and Ukraine and the Russian Federation will also increase production

According to the European Commission's forecast, in the 2026/27 MY, EU countries will increase sunflower production by 1.2 million tons compared to the previous season to 9.6 million tons, which will be a 3-year maximum.

So, compared to last year, the harvest will increase:

• Romania (largest producer) – up 18% to 2.1 million tons due to an increase in sowing area to 1.2 million hectares,
• France (second largest producer) – by 33% to 1.9 million tons,
• Germany – by 32 thousand tons to 175 thousand tons due to an increase in sowing area from 62 to 77 thousand hectares.

Crops will also increase significantly in Bulgaria, Hungary, Spain and Greece.

The reason for the increase in production will be the increase in sunflower areas by 5%, as farmers are actively including sunflower in crop rotation for diversification.

Recall that in the 2024/25 MY, due to drought, the sunflower harvest in the EU decreased to 8 million tons.

In Ukraine, local analysts and USDA experts predict a good sunflower harvest in the 2026/27 MY, as the sowing campaign begins under favorable weather conditions, which will allow for high yields.

It is expected that compared to the previous season, the area under sunflower will increase (mainly due to a reduction in the area sown with soybeans) by 6% to 5.4-5.5 million hectares, and production will increase by 16% from 11 to 12.8 million tons.

According to IKAR estimates, in the Russian Federation, sunflower production in the 2026/27 MY will grow from 16.5 million tons to a record 19 million tons.