Due to rains in Ukraine, as well as in many other countries of the Black Sea region, the harvesting campaign is going slowly. As of the end of the first decade of October, Ukrainian farmers have harvested sunflower from about 67% of the area, while last year at this time the harvest was nearing completion – the products were harvested from 87% of the fields. This year’s yield so far averages 1.85 t/ha, while last year it slightly exceeded 2 t/ha.
Slow harvesting campaign and scarcer supply of marketable sunflower led to an increase in purchase prices for sunflower in the neighboring country by about UAH 500/t. The tendency to a situational increase in sunflower prices is “fueled” by an increase in the US dollar exchange rate against the Ukrainian hryvnia. Relatively high prices for sunflower in Ukraine contribute to the maintenance of high prices and demand for sunflower in the whole Black Sea region, despite the global correction of prices for oilseed raw materials towards a slight decline.
As agro-marketing expert Iurie Rizha notes, in full compliance with the regional trend, the average sunflower price in Moldova increased by 1% on average, to 9.93 lei/kg, compared to last week’s price level.
Earlier, Logos Press quoted the opinion of this expert that if by the end of October Moldovan farmers do not manage to harvest sunflower from more than 80% of fields, the price for this product will exceed the level of 10.5 lei/kg.
