- Global refined sunflower oil prices remained firm during Q1’26 as limited supply growth and ongoing trade disruptions kept export availability and landed costs elevated.
- Feedstock availability improved only slightly, while Black Sea logistics disruptions and higher freight costs continued pressuring global edible oil trade flows.
- Demand from food processing and retail sectors remained steady, although high prices encouraged partial substitution toward palm and soybean oil.
Global refined sunflower oil prices maintained a firm trend during Q1’26 as constrained export availability and geopolitical disruptions supported market sentiment. Global sunflower oil production reached nearly 20.75 million metric tons in 2025/26, only slightly above 20.38 million metric tons in 2024/25, limiting supply growth and preventing major price corrections. In Asia, tighter export availability from Black Sea suppliers, vessel rerouting, and elevated freight and insurance costs increased landed prices for importers, while India witnessed slower imports due to high prices and delayed cargo arrivals. Meanwhile, the European markets remained supported despite improved regional production, as lower exports from Ukraine were only partly offset by higher shipments from Russia and Kazakhstan. Along with this, downstream demand from foodservice, packaged food, and household cooking applications remained stable during the quarter.