Romania maintains its leading position of the European Union in sunflower oil production. Sunflower is one of the most important oil crops in the world and is especially appreciated for the oil obtained from crushing the seeds of the plant.
This vegetable oil is preferred by consumers in Eastern Europe, the Balkans and the Black Sea region, which makes sunflower the best oil crop in these regions.
Sunflower oil is one of the top four vegetable oils produced and consumed worldwide. In the 2023 marketing year, sunflower oil accounted for 9% of major vegetable oils produced globally.
Ukraine is the world’s leading producer and exporter of sunflower oil, producing a total of 5.9 million tonnes in 2023, or 31% of total sunflower oil production and 3% of major vegetable oils produced globally.
In addition, Ukraine exported about 90% of its sunflower oil production in 2023 to trading partners such as the European Union, India, China, Egypt and Turkey. These destinations together accounted for 65% of global sunflower oil exports.