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Sunflower seeds: burnt sunflowers cause concern

July 15, 2020 at 5:08 PM , Der AUDITOR
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SOFIA. Adverse weather conditions are a matter of concern for the sunflower seed market in Bulgaria and in Russia. Problem is the lack of rain. Traders in Bulgaria even report of burnt sunflowers. Some parts of Bulgaria have experienced 20 days without rain and low moisture levels are expected to become a problem in the eastern parts of the country.

Kernels trade higher

As the start of the harvest season is drawing near demand is becoming more subdued in Bulgaria. This has prompted black in shells with a 98% purity to trade lower at EUR  0.34 per kg CPT Varna. Edible oils have, by contrast, gained substantial ground in Ukraine and in Russia. May suppliers and processors have started their summer break and meaning that supplies are becoming more limited. This has driven up the spot market prices for bakery kernels with last year's crop trading in a range of EUR 0.74-0.78 per kg DDP Germany. Traders reckon that ürices will continue to rise. The prices for the new crop have remained firm at EUR 0.65-0.68 per kg DDP Germany.

Sunflower kernels, Bulgaria

Type

EUR/kg

Hulled, bakery, DDP Germany, 2019 crop

0.74-0.78

Hulled, bakery, DDP Germany, 2020 crop

0.65-0.68

Unhulled, 98% purity, CPT Varna

0.34

Trade sources

Shipments to Germany rise by 6%

Germany has imported a total of 221,000 metric tonnes of sunflower seeds between September 2019 and April, which is a nominal 6% rise over last year. While shipments from Hungary have remained relatively firm, shipments from Bulgaria, France and Romania are up.

Sunflower seed imports to Germany in mt

Country

2019/20

2020/21

Diff.

Hungary

59,540

58,991

-0.9%

Bulgaria

49,929

53,461

7.1%

France

31,119

34,858

12.0%

Romania

20,562

29,530

43.6%

Austria

12,706

9,911

-22.0%

Slovakia

8,864

6,526

-26.4%

Moldova

4,743

5,394

13.7%

Poland

2,775

4,679

68.6%

Turkey

4,295

4,637

8.0%

China

3,822

3,968

3.8%

Others

10,354

9,009

-13.0%

Total

208,709

220,964

5.9%

Federal Statistical Office of Germany; Sep-Apr
12060091 Sunflower seeds, whether of not broken, shelled; in grey-and-white-striped shell

 

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