June 2026 reshaped the results of the entire 2025/26 season for exports of sunflower oil produced in Moldova. Last month (the final month of the season), nearly 18,000 metric tons were exported from the country, accounting for approximately 20% of the total volume of this commodity shipped to foreign markets during the marketing year.
To produce the amount of oil that was exported last month, it was necessary to process approximately 40,000–41,000 metric tons of sunflower seeds, notes agricultural marketing expert Yuri Riza. According to his findings, the raw material used to produce the oil exported in June was, for the most part, not of Moldovan origin (Logos Pressnote : this presumably refers to Argentine sunflower seeds).
In the first half of 2026, approximately 58,000 metric tons of imported sunflower seeds arrived in the country by sea, which drove the surge in sunflower oil exports in June.
Almost the entire volume of sunflower oil exports from Moldova in June (17,130 metric tons) came from a single company— “DANUBE OIL COMPANY,” which owns an oil and fat processing plant in the Giurgiulești Free Economic Zone. As a result, by the end of the 2025/26 season, this company took first place in sunflower oil exports (36.52 thousand metric tons). The traditional leader of Moldova’s oil and fat market, “FLOAREA SOARELUI” SA, took only second place—with exports totaling 33,64 thousand metric tons of sunflower oil. These two companies accounted for nearly 77% of sunflower oil exports from the Republic of Moldova. (Note from Logos Press: Both companies are part of the“TransOil” group.)
In total, during the last marketing season (July 2025–June 2026), Moldova exported nearly 92,000 metric tons of sunflower oil worth 2.07 billion lei (average invoice price of the product: 22.6 lei/kg). This is significantly higher than the figures for the previous season. During the period from July 2024 to June 2025, sunflower oil exports from Moldova totaled only 19,210 metric tons, worth 437.7 million lei—the weakest result in the last five years.
“The growth in sunflower oil exports from Moldova during the 2025/26 season indicates a return to the ‘top tier’ of exporters of this commodity in the Black Sea region, but not a full recovery of our country’s oil and fat industry’s potential. Export volumes remain significantly lower than the results of the best seasons at the start of the decade—172,000 metric tons and 211,000 metric tons,” concludes Yuri Riza.
China's Agricultural Forecasting Committee (CAOC) left its vegetable oil production and consumption forecasts unchanged in its July CASDE report. Experts expect vegetable oil production to be 31.41 million tons (including soybean oil at 17.17 million tons and rapeseed oil at 7.77 million tons), and consumption to be 37.89 million tons.
CAOC considers the internal market balance to be stable due to significant reserves and forecasts of a significant global supply of oilseeds in the new season.
The new rapeseed harvest season in China is ending rather calmly, with prices generally in line with previous years' levels, although a premium is being offered for higher quality rapeseed.
On the global market, analysts' attention is focused on Canada, which is completing its canola planting. An increase in planted area to a 10-year high is raising production and supply forecasts, which is putting pressure on quotes.
CAOC believes that the 2026/27 MY will be favorable for oilseed importers due to good harvests in producing countries, which will ensure the stability of the Chinese vegetable oil market.
Kernel reported significant damage to its infrastructure in Chornomorsk port following a Russian drone attack on the morning of July 14, according to the company's filing with the Warsaw Stock Exchange.
"The attack caused a fire and severely damaged most of the terminal's sunflower oil storage facilities, as well as its transshipment infrastructure," the company said.
The attack resulted in the loss of a significant volume of sunflower oil stored at the terminal, including inventories belonging to third parties.
Kernel added that, due to the prolonged fire and lengthy firefighting operation, it is currently impossible to accurately determine the full extent of the damage. The overall impact on the company's operations and financial performance is still being assessed.
According to the company, the fire damaged approximately 25,000 tons of sunflower oil belonging to Kernel and a U.S. company that stored its oil at the terminal.
The fire was brought under control after 12 hours, and no sunflower oil leaked into the surrounding waters.
India’s edible oil imports fell by 30% year-on-year in June 2026 to 1.11 mln tons, compared with 1.60 mln tons a year earlier. According to the Solvent Extractors’ Association of India (SEA), the decline was mainly driven by a sharp drop in palm and soybean oil imports as global prices increased.
Palm oil imports declined to 487 thsd tons in June from 546 thsd tons in May and 952 thsd tons in June 2025. Soybean oil imports also fell to 380 thsd tons from 493 thsd tons a month earlier. In contrast, sunflower oil imports increased to 240 thsd tons, up from 190 thsd tons in May.
According to SEA Executive Director B.V. Mehta, the decline in purchases was caused by the narrowing price advantage of palm oil over soybean oil. The discount for palm oil has fallen to less than $50/t, making it less attractive for Indian buyers.
The market is also being affected by expanding biodiesel mandates in Indonesia, Malaysia, and the United States. As more vegetable oils are diverted from the food market to biofuel production, global prices have remained elevated. Over the past year, palm oil prices have increased by 17-18%, soybean oil by 14%, and sunflower oil by 19%.
Despite weaker imports in June, India imported 10.39 mln tons of edible oils during the first eight months of the 2025/26 marketing year (November-June), up 7% from the same period a year earlier. Indonesia, Malaysia, Argentina, Russia, and Ukraine remained the country’s main edible oil suppliers.
According to Bloomberg, the Chinese authorities plan to allow their private processors to import Australian rapeseed in order to normalize trade relations with Australia, which have remained quite tense for several years.
This week, several businesses will be able to apply for import permits under a pilot program that will be a preparatory stage before the signing of an intergovernmental agreement to resume trade.
Recall that in 2020, China banned the import of canola from Australia, citing quarantine safety. However, last year, the first step towards improving the situation was the test resumption of product bookings by the state-owned company Cofco International Ltd, which increased market expectations for increased imports.
These steps coincided with the complication of trade relations with the main supplier of canola to China - Canada, caused by the introduction of import duties by the Canadian government on Chinese electric vehicles, steel and aluminum. At the same time, China resumed imports of soybeans from the United States, ensuring stable access to raw materials necessary for the food industry and animal feed production.
Back in June, traders noticed an increase in demand from private processors for Australian canola for delivery in Q4.
To improve trade relations, the Australian Department of Agriculture has changed its phytosanitary requirements, updating the list of diseases (including bacterial leaf spot and bulb weed disease) and pests that are not allowed when exporting products to China.
It was previously reported that, at the request of the Chinese authorities, Rosselkhoznadzor has strengthened control over compliance with Chinese food safety standards by Russian exporters of rapeseed oil and meal.
Australia is one of the main suppliers of rapeseed to the EU, so against the backdrop of a reduced Australian harvest this season and high prices for Canadian canola, competition between European and Chinese importers for rapeseed from Canada and Australia will intensify, which will contribute to an increase in prices in Europe and Ukraine, which remains an alternative supplier.
Today, the European Commission has adopted simpler rules for EU agri-food promotion policy, reducing administrative and financial requirements for beneficiaries and Member States. The changes will make the programmes easier to implement, and benefit organisations applying for EU funding.
Drawing on 10 years of experience in managing these programmes, the amendment simplifies administrative procedures.
The main changes include:
- More time to conclude contracts: the deadline is extended from 90 to 180 days, giving Member States and beneficiaries more time to complete necessary procedures.
- Higher pre-financing: the maximum pre-financing rate increases to 30%, helping in particular smaller beneficiaries with more upfront funding to implement their programmes.
- Fewer reporting requirements: notification obligations to the Commission on the impact of simple programmes are reduced to one final notification.
This is the outcome of extensive consultation with stakeholders and Member States.
The Regulation will enter into force on the seventh day following its publication in the Official Journal of the European Union. The new rules will apply from that date. However, they will not apply to contracts for the implementation of simple programmes concluded before 1 December 2026 so not to disrupt current practice.
As in previous years, the budget for the 2027 agri-food promotion programme has not yet been finalised. The budget allocation remains subject to adjustments as part of the revision of the 2021–2027 Multiannual Financial Framework. The final budget for the 2027 Annual Work Programme is expected to be confirmed in October 2026. The Commission considers that adequate financial resources are essential to ensure that promotion programmes can continue to support the EU agri-food sector over the long term.
The European Union (EU) aims to increase the volume of oilseeds – including soyabeans – sourced from within the 27-nation bloc, to reduce its dependency on imports from top suppliers like the USA and Brazil, Transport Topics wrote, citing a 7 July Bloomberg report.
As part of that drive, the European Commission (EC) – the bloc’s executive arm – is aiming for 35% of oilseeds and protein crops used in animal feed to be EU-grown by 2035. That compares with 25% sourced domestically last year, according to the bloc’s livestock strategy and protein plan published on 7 July.
Although Europe is one the world’s biggest suppliers of food products - such as grains, dairy, pork and olive oil - its livestock industry is heavily dependent on imports of protein crops, making the region vulnerable to supply disruptions, according to the report.
Meanwhile, EU citizens had raised concerns about deforestation in places like Brazil, with farmers staging protests in recent years against a trade deal with the Mercosur countries, including Brazil and Argentina, the report said.
The EU was also seeking to diversify its imports away from the Americas, with increased shipments from Ukraine one way of achieving this, according to an EC official.
Ukraine, which benefits from preferential trade rules, formally began the first stage of membership talks with the bloc in June.
The bloc will also look to use trade negotiations to boost Europe’s agriculture sector and enforce EU food safety standards, according to a previous Bloomberg report.
The EU livestock industry generates €400bn (US$457bn) in annual turnover and employs around 7M people across Europe, according to the report.
Spain overtook India to become the leading buyer of Ukrainian sunflower oil in July-May of the 2025/2026 marketing year, Latifundist wrote, citing Ministry of Economy data.
During the period, Ukraine exported 578,500 tonnes of sunflower oil to Spain, accounting for 14.5% of its total exports.
India ranked second with shipments of 571,500 tonnes and a 14.3% share.
From April-May, Spain imported an additional 132,800 tonnes of Ukrainian sunflower oil, while India imported an extra 87,100 tonnes, the 5 June report said.
The Netherlands remained in third place in terms of Ukrainian sunflower oil imports, importing 460,200 tonnes from April-May. The top five also included Italy and France, with imports of 407,900 tonnes and 233,000 tonnes respectively.
For eleven months of the season, the European Union (EU) imported 2.04M tonnes (a 51% share of Ukrainian sunflower oil shipments), with Asian imports totalling 1.5M tonnes (a 37.6% share) and African purchases of 312,000 tonnes, a 7.8% share.
However, as of the end of March, the situation had changed.
According to July-March data, India remained the largest buyer of Ukrainian sunflower oil with purchases of 484,000 tonnes, a 15.3% share. At that point in the season, Spain then occupied second position with a volume of 445,000 tonnes and a 14.1% share.