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Before the war, planted area for high-oleic (HO) sunflower in Ukraine was steadily expanding, but the conflict reversed that trend, even though global demand from the food industry for this oil remains strong and continues to underpin demand.
In 2024, the planted area fell to its lowest level since the 2019/20 season. Heat stress conditions further reduced yields, leading to disappointing results overall.
Domestic use includes snacks, bakery products and fast food, given the oil's long frying life and high stability. Nevertheless, the oil remains largely export-oriented, though export flows have declined in line with the smaller crop.
Despite the overall drop in exports, Ukraine's high-oleic sunflower oil shipments still reach a diverse range of destinations—56 importing countries in total—although volumes to many of these markets remain limited. Even so, prospects for increased sales look promising.
The core issue lies in farmers' profit margins. The premium for high-oleic oil is unstable, and producers are often forced to sell it as standard sunflower seed (SFS), in which case the premium fails to cover production costs, killing incentives to expand planted area.
Over the past five seasons, the premium has ranged between 500 and 1,500 hryvnia per tonne (10–31 euros per tonne), but in the 2024/25 season it jumped to around 8,000 hryvnia per tonne (167 euros per tonne). This represents a genuine incentive for planting in 2026 if it persists.
The price gap between crude high-oleic oil and standard sunflower oil stands at around 300 US dollars per tonne (256 euros per tonne).
2025/26 Outlook – According to UkrAgroConsult