With the widespread disruption caused by the invasion, Ukraine has had to limit the amount of sunflower oil it can export. Agricultural exports are forecast to decline by half this year.
According to figures released by the Ministry of Agricultural Policy in April, Ukrainian producers have managed to plant only 1.7 percent of the expected area for sunflower seeds so far.
At the end of March, the Ukrainian agricultural agency APK said the “most optimistic scenario” would be that the country could export 400,000 tons until the end of the season in September.
This means that for the whole year, including last September, Ukraine could only supply 3.5 million tons, while it had already delivered 3.1 million tons.