Australia
March 2, 2022
The Black Sea Region of Europe continues to lead global sunflower production, with new hybrid adoption the main reason for ongoing growth in acreage – and higher yields.
Hybrids most in demand are Express® herbicide-resistant hybrids with genetic Orobanche resistance and advanced downy mildew resistance in both the oil and high oleic market. “These segments continue to outpace growth in other market segments,” says Dieterich, “as farmers look to secure their yield with these crucial agronomic traits.”
As it has been for many years, global sunflower production is currently led by Russia and Ukraine. “Sunflower is the crop of choice for farmers in these countries,” explains Patrick Dieterich, Nuseed General Manager, Europe. “With new hybrids becoming available and strong markets, acreage is growing in both countries by a small percentage each year.”
According to recent International Sunflower Association (ISA) reports, Argentina and countries in Europe lead global sunflower production after Russia and Ukraine. In particular, the association describes the growth in acreage over the last decade in the Black Sea region as exponential. Russia now has approximately 8 million hectares of sunflowers, says Dieterich, Ukraine 6 million hectares and in total in the Black Sea Region about 3.5 million hectares are now under production.
The overall increase in planted acres of sunflowers are a direct result of the availability of new hybrids. “Today, the Nuseed market access for sunflower in the European region (the EU and Ukraine) is approximately 18 million hectares,” says Dieterich. “We continue to bring new hybrids to market and increase our shelf space with our distribution partners. Expectations for 2022 are high for all sales teams in Russia, Ukraine and Central Eastern Europe, especially in Romania, Bulgaria and Moldova.”
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