Russian sunflower seeds export has tripled for year

UFA, 12 May 2017. /Bashinform News Agency, Alim Faizov/. Russian producers of sunflower seeds have increased exports to the EU countries to a record level. According to the results of the previous year, the deliveries in only one year increased three-fold. The Netherlands, France, Italy, Spain and Sweden are among the largest buyers among the EU countries, the Izvestia newspaper reports with reference to Eurostat data.

By the results of the last year, the deliveries of the Russian sunflower seeds to the EU countries amounted to 86.5 thousand tons to the sum of 42.5 million euros (about 3.2 billion rubles). In 2015, exports to the EU amounted to 24.5 thousand tons for 13.7 million euros (928 million rubles). The indicator of 2016 became a record for the last ten years - in the past, Russia supplied the EU with an average of 18 thousand tons of sunflower seeds per year.

Last year Turkey's imports increased four times to 81,000 tons in addition to the EU countries, compared to 2015, eventually having become the largest consumer of Russian sunflower seeds, the Federal Customs Service informs. Deliveries to Turkey continue to grow: only in the first three months of this year they amounted to 51 thousand tons. Taking into account the growth in supply of sunflower seeds to the EU and Turkey, the total exports in the past year amounted to 187 thousand tons. This is three times more than in 2015.

The experts explain the growth in supply of the Russian sunflower seeds by lowering the export customs duty rate. Since September last year, it is 6.5 percent, but minimum 9.74 euros per ton; the previous rate was 9.88 percent, but minimum 14.81 euros per ton.

As Bashinform News Agency reported, Kumertau was implementing an investment project for the construction of an oil extraction plant in Mayachny village with a processing capacity of 1,200 tons of sunflower seeds per day.

After reaching its full capacity, the output of refined oil will be 187.8 thousand tons, oil meal - 172.8 thousand tons per year. The project will significantly expand the sown areas of sunflower in Bashkortostan to provide this enterprise with raw material.