EU Expected to Harvest 9.5 Million Tons of Sunflower Seeds in 2026, Highest Since 2023

en.Wedoany.com Reported - The European Commission expects the EU's sunflower seed harvest in 2026 to be slightly above 9.5 million tons, an increase of just over 9% year-on-year, marking the largest crop since 2023 and in line with the forecast published in April.

The increase is driven by two main factors: an expansion of the cultivated area by approximately 5%, and a recovery in yield levels. The average yield for 2026 is expected to be 19.5 metric quintals per hectare, slightly above the long-term average; in 2025 it was 18.7 metric quintals per hectare, and in 2024 only 17.4 metric quintals per hectare. In terms of cultivated area, EU sunflower planting has expanded by about 5%, reaching 4.9 million hectares.

Romania, despite reducing its cultivated area to 1.1 million hectares, remains the most important sunflower seed producing region among the EU-27. The country's yield is expected to improve slightly, with total production potentially reaching 2.2 million tons, a level slightly above the 2.1 million tons of 2025.

Bulgaria is expected to harvest close to 2.1 million tons, moving up to become the second-largest sunflower seed producer in the EU.

According to research by Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft, Germany's sunflower seed cultivated area is set to expand for the second consecutive year in 2026, reaching 98,000 hectares, potentially the largest area to date. In response to the war in Eastern Europe, producers had already significantly expanded sunflower seed output in 2022. Given the continued expansion of cultivated area in 2026, Germany's harvest could reach approximately 222,000 tons, an increase of about 79,000 tons compared to 2025. However, heat stress and water scarcity are also reducing the yield potential of oilseed crops.

According to the Union for the Promotion of Oil and Protein Plants (UFOP), the continued expansion of sunflower cultivation in Germany reflects farmers' growing interest in crop rotation diversification, particularly the inclusion of another summer crop.

In contrast, sunflower growth in France has been adversely affected by persistent summer drought and heatwaves. The European Commission's latest assessment puts the French harvest at close to 1.5 million tons, approximately 60,000 tons higher than in 2025. However, this increase comes against a backdrop of an approximately 11% expansion in cultivated area, with the expanded acreage only partially compensating for yields falling short of expectations this year.