Global Sunflower Oil Production in 2025/26 Marketing Year to Increase by 9% – USDA Forecast

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has released its May forecast regarding key trends in the global oilseed market for the 2025/26 marketing year. According to the report, global oilseed production is expected to grow by 2.2% compared to the previous season, reaching 692 million tons, up from 677.16 million tons last period, which is a 5.2% increase compared to the result of 658.08 million tons.

This is reported by AgroReview

Processing and Production of Oilseeds Worldwide

The volume of global oilseed processing in the 2025/26 marketing year is estimated by the USDA to increase by 3.3%, reaching 580.5 million tons. This growth is driven, in particular, by an increase in soybean processing, as well as the recovery of sunflower and rapeseed processing capacities in producing countries and oilseed-importing states.

Global soybean production is projected to rise by 6 million tons to 426.8 million tons, primarily due to a high harvest in Brazil. Sunflower production is expected to increase by 4 million tons to 56.2 million tons, driven by a recovery in production in the European Union, Ukraine, and Russia. For rapeseed, an increase of 4.5 million tons to 89.56 million tons is anticipated, resulting from active capacity expansion.

Global Trade and Oilseed Stocks

Global trade in oilseeds is also expected to show positive dynamics, with trade volume increasing by 3%. The increase in soybean supplies may partially offset a 4% decline in rapeseed exports, which is related to reduced imports by the European Union due to the recovery of its own production.

Ending stocks of oilseeds are also projected to rise, reaching 143.2 million tons compared to 141.3 million tons in the previous season and 136.1 million tons in the 2023/24 marketing year.

Global production of vegetable oils, including sunflower oil, is expected to reach nearly 235 million tons, which is 3% more than last season. Meanwhile, sunflower oil production is forecasted to be at 21.9 million tons, indicating a 9% increase.