27.20 lakh tonnes of edible oil exported from Russia in the five months of January-May

11-Jun-2025 06:13 PM

Vladivostok. During the first five months of the current year, January to May 2025, the total export of edible oils from Russia declined to 27.20 lakh tonnes, registering a 19 percent drop compared to the same period in 2024. According to available data, sunflower oil exports fell by 25 percent to 18.70 lakh tonnes.

Turkey and India remained the top importers, purchasing 4.56 lakh tonnes and 4.02 lakh tonnes respectively. Sunflower oil accounted for 68 percent of Russia’s total edible oil exports during this period.

Soybean oil exports also saw a significant decline of 38 percent, dropping to 2.27 lakh tonnes. Of this, 1.00 lakh tonne was exported to Algeria and 78 thousand tonnes to India, with the rest shipped to various other countries.

In contrast, rapeseed oil exports from Russia increased by 26 percent to 6.24 lakh tonnes, with 88 percent of the volume going to China. Trade analysts attribute the decline in sunflower oil exports to a steep and unsustainable rise in the price of sunflower seed in Russia.

This price increase caused negative long-term crushing margins, discouraging processors from purchasing and processing sunflower seeds. As a result, the availability of sunflower oil for export reduced significantly.

The Oil and Fat Union has stated that only if the global market price of sunflower oil rises and domestic sunflower seed prices fall to around 36,000 rubles per tonne, can processors expect to make a profit.

At present, processors are incurring losses of about 16 percent. Russia, along with Ukraine and Romania, remains a key producer and exporter of sunflower oil globally.