USDA: Turkey turns to EU for sunflower imports, with Romania well placed to benefit

Romania and Bulgaria are well positioned to benefit, as both countries have recorded good harvests this year, Economica.net reported.

Turkey has set a tariff quota of 1.25 million tonnes for the current marketing year, unchanged from previous years.

However, it brought forward the introduction of reduced import duties on sunflower seeds, cutting the rate from 20% to 12% from October 1, rather than the usual November 30. The earlier start coincides with the peak harvest in the Black Sea region.

“This is already having an impact on the markets in Romania and Bulgaria, with higher exports expected,” the USDA analysis noted.

According to European Commission data, Romania has exported 160,121 tonnes of sunflower seeds outside the EU so far this marketing year, accounting for 79.2% of the bloc’s total exports. Bulgaria ranks second, with 25,286 tonnes.

Turkey is the main destination, having purchased 158,801 tonnes of sunflower seeds from across the EU.