Free of charge

Sunflower seeds: Bulgaria rocks the market

June 1, 2017 at 11:29 AM , Der AUDITOR
Play report as audio

SOFIA. Bulgaria is becoming increasingly important, especially in Germany. According to the German Statistical Office, Bulgaria has replaced Hungary this year as the most important sunflower seed supplier for the German market.

In the first quarter of 2017, Bulgarian exporters delivered more than 17,000 mt to Germany, more than 4,000 mt more as in the same period last year (+31%). At the same time, imports from Hungary completely collapsed in the first three months of this year, from almost 29,000 mt in Q1 of 2016 to barely 4,000 mt in Q1 of 2017 (-86%). In 2016, Germany imported about 55,710 mt of sunflower seeds from Bulgaria, and a respectable 73,110 mt came from Hungary.   

Sunflower seed imports to Germany

Country

2015

2016

2017

Bulgaria

12,419.20

12,978.40

17,194.80

France

26,494.00

1,741.20

7,305.90

Austria

2,542.20

7,922.60

3,238.20

Slovakia

8,685.90

12,020.70

1,297.70

Hungary

9,248.50

28,947.40

3,921.40

Source: German Statistical Office         Q1 2017

Seeds are cheaper again
In the Bulgarian sunflower growing regions, the farmers are pleased by abundant sunshine; there could be isolated showers over the weekend. The downwards trend still continues. The prices for black sunflower seeds, in-shell, 96% purity, are currently at 0.322 EUR/mt CPT Varna. There are no shipments set to depart in big ports like Varna and Burgas. In Balchik, however, 5,000 mt of sunflower oil are being loaded. 

Sunflower seeds, Eastern Europe

Type

EUR/kg

Bakery, DDP Germany

0.710

Black, in-shell, CPT Varna

0.322

Imports increased by more than 30%
Bakery seeds are maintaining the same level as in the last few weeks. Especially small and medium-sized processors are now withdrawing from the active market and are limiting themselves to fulfilling ongoing contracts. Market players are therefore expecting prices to rise soon. It is also becoming increasingly difficult to find high-quality products on the market.

Attached Files

File icon
Price Chart Sunflower seed kernels, bakery

View related articles

Go to the News Overview
Oilseeds
Aug 3, 2026
DALIAN. Supplies are tight for pumpkin seeds in China. Buyers in Europe and North America are struggling with very hot summer conditions.
Nuts
Aug 3, 2026
NEW DELHI/BUENOS AIRES. Expectation is that India will change direction for peanuts again. International supplies are rather limited.
Grains
Jul 31, 2026
BRUSSELS. Wheat is trending in different directions. In Europe, the heatwaves are having quite an impact on corn. Chine is buying large volumes of soybeans. Ukraine is seeking alternative transport routes for rapeseed.
Oilseeds
Jul 30, 2026
NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD. Indian sesame seed farmers have made good progress with sowing and have managed to catch up on the backlog compared with last year. Low availability on the Indian market is supporting prices. In Pakistan, rainfall is causing harvest delays.